Let Me Love You
by stellaclaire
Summary: Cloud and Tifa met at a friend's engagement party. It was love at first sight and they decided to start everything with friendship. The two got drunk and it lead into a one night stand which will trigger a chain of events that will lead them in to love.
1. The Meeting

**Author's Note: **Okay, I'm putting a pause on **Once Again** for a while because I want to start this new story and I hope you'll love this! Don't worry, I'll finish **Once Again** when I can. :)

**Let Me Love You**

**Chapter One**

**The Meeting**

Another day of work starts for 22 year old Tifa Lockhart as she tidies herself in front of the mirror. After she cleans up for a while and makes sure everything's put in place, she exits her apartment and heads to her workplace.

She works as a preschool teacher at a local school. Ever since she was young it has been her dream to teach young children and now she finally got her degree in teaching, after graduation she immediately applied for a job. Now she's working full time and she's currently enjoying her vocation. She couldn't have anything better right now.

On the other side of the story, 23 year old Cloud Strife drives himself to his workplace but before he could get there, he stops by a local coffee shop to get a cup of coffee to help him stay awake the whole day.

Cloud works as an engineer at a construction company owned by his best friend Zack Fair. They established the company right after their college graduation and Cloud has his own share with the company, making him a co-owner of it. Unlike Tifa, Cloud doesn't like his job too much even if he has a good pay. He was only forced to become an engineer because his mother wanted him to and because they didn't have the funds to send him to med school. During his college days, Cloud didn't have the motivation to study because he didn't like his major but as he ventured through the world of engineering, he slowly began to like it until he finished his studies and got his degree. His mother was more proud of him especially when he graduated with honors. Now he somehow enjoys his job and continues to make his mother happy by giving a part of his salary to her as a repay for spending too much just to send him to college.

Two different people with different backgrounds, aspirations and views in life, what happens if their worlds will collide?

This is their story.

Cloud stayed at the coffee shop for a while and read the newspapers. The moment he turned to the next page, his cell phone suddenly made a loud ring. He checked the caller I.D. and it was his co-worker and best friend Zack Fair. He flipped the device open and answered the phone call.

"Yo Cloud! Where are you, man?" Zack said with a loud and excited tone. "You comin' to work?"

"I'm at a coffee shop and yes, I'm coming to work as soon as I finish a cup of coffee." He replied and sipped on his coffee.

"I see. Hey dude, I'm so happy! Aerith and I are finally engaged!"

"Yeah Zack, you told me a thousand times already. Congrats." He sighed. The information didn't seem new to him anymore.

"What's with the tone? Aren't you happy for us?" Zack pouted on the phone.

"Of course I'm happy for you two. I know how much you love each other and I know how much you want to marry her." He tried to cheer him up.

"Thanks pal. Listen, were having an engagement party at my place this Saturday night. You should be there okay? I don't want my best man to be absent for this event."

"Wait, did you say I'm the best man?" He asked again, making sure his ears didn't deceive him.

"Yup, you're the best friend I ever had and you helped me propose to her so it would be just to repay you by letting you be our best man." He explained. "Plus, Aerith agreed on it too."

"Cool. Thanks. It's an honor dude." Cloud smiled and finished his cup.

"Welcome. Anyway, work's gonna start soon. We have a new project by the way so you better get here so I could explain the details. See ya later Cloud."

"Sure, bye Zack." He hung up the phone.

After checking his phone for new messages, Cloud glanced outside the window and he nearly ran out of breath when a woman passed by. He felt like he was in a trance and was hypnotized by her beauty. She had a long dark brown hair, fair skin and an innocent face. The woman glanced back at him and gave a small smile before she focused her eyes on the road again. When their eyes met for the first time, he was completely stunned and felt his body weaken. He couldn't keep his eyes off her even when she's walking away and gaining distance. She was the most beautiful thing he saw and he would love the see such beauty again.

Cloud ticked back to reality when his bill arrived. He absentmindedly handed the money and immediately went out of the coffee shop. When he entered his car, he sat down and leaned against his seat. He still couldn't stop thinking about the encounter with that woman even if it only lasted for a few seconds. He wanted to see her again but he thought it would be impossible. The city is so vast and the population is quite a number so the probability of seeing her again is quite low. Plus, with that beauty she's probably dating someone right now. Cloud erased the thoughts he just had, started the engine and accelerated his car and the vehicle sped down the highway.

Tifa arrives at school just in time for classes to begin. Her students gathered together and welcomed her with hugs, smiles and warm greetings. Her pleasant personality with kids made her well loved by her students. Teaching has truly been her passion and she treats her students like her own children. Even if this is her first year of teaching, her approach and methods are likely to an experienced teacher.

After another tiring day at work, Tifa heads home to rest up. She walks home with her co-teacher and long time best friend Aerith Gainsborough. Aerith has been her best friend since high school and they know each other very well. During their college years they took up the same major and they were roommates as well. They are almost like sisters and they supported each other through their ups and downs in life.

After taking their train, they finally arrived at Tifa's apartment. Tifa prepared a little snack for the both of them and they talked about their day at work.

"So Teef, how are your kids doing?" Aerith began.

"Oh they're fine and loving as usual." She replied. "How 'bout yours?"

"Quite hard to handle especially the boys, they make a lot of mess in the room but I still managed to handle them."

"You know what, I really love teaching. I really love my students and it's as if they're my own children." Tifa pondered.

"With that attitude of yours, you're really ready to be a mother yourself." Aerith remarked.

"What?" She was startled by her comment. "No, I think that can wait. I still need to save up some money to spend on some stuff that needs fixing. Marriage and kids can be an option later."

"Yeah but you have asset Tifa, you're smart, talented, beautiful, kind…you're everything! You're a girlfriend slash fiancée slash wife matter!" She praised. "This is the reason why you have a lot of men chasing after you."

"But sometimes it's not me they're after. It could be money or even sex. You know guys these days."

"I guess you're right, good thing my Zack isn't like that."

"Speaking of Zack, how's you're engagement going?" Tifa changed the topic.

"Oh we're just gushing about the wedding these past few days like the dress, the cake, the color motif…" She rambled on and on, Tifa just nodded at her best friend. "Oh yes, Tifa, I want you to be my maid of honor."

"What? Oh Aerith… are you sure?" She asked in astonishment.

"Very sure. You're my best friend in the whole world Tifa and you are like a sister to me so it would be best for you to be my maid of honor." She smiled.

"Really? Oh thank you Aerith. It's an honor." She shaked hands with her. "I wish you and Zack the best."

The two talked about the wedding for almost an hour. It's every woman's dream to get married and start her own family with the man she loved and Aerith finally had the opportunity to make that fairytale come true. The two got a little carried away with their conversation and they lost track of the time. Aerith glanced at her watched and realized that it was time to leave.

"Oh it's almost 4pm, Zack and I have some places to go to in preparation for the wedding so I really need to go." Aerith said and stood up from the couch.

"Alright." Tifa stood up and lead her towards the door.

"Oh by the way, we'll be having an engagement party on Saturday at Zack's place and I really want you to be there, my maid of honor." Aerith opened the door and stepped outside.

"Of course I'll be there soon-to-be, Mrs. Zack Fair." She teased.

"You better. Some of Zack's friends are gonna be there so this is an opportunity to find a guy so you can have a dance partner during the wedding reception." Aerith winked.

"Thanks for the offer girl but I have to pass." Tifa waved a hand in front of her.

"Suite yourself." She shrugged her shoulders and started walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow at work Tifa. Bye."

"Bye Aer, see ya!" She said and closed the door behind her.

The week passed by quickly and it was already Saturday. Tifa pampered herself in front of the mirror wearing her simple knee-length purple dress with glitters. She applied light make up and jewelry to add a little fashion. After she slipped in to her silver three-inched sandals, she went out of the door and hailed a taxi cab. When she arrived at the venue, somehow she caught the attention of some guests. As she made her way inside the room, she became a bit conscious when some ladies and even the gentlemen kept on staring at her from head to toe. Guys in the corner of the living room kept on calling her names such as 'pretty lady in purple' but she ignored them and walked towards her best friend who was talking to some guests.

"Hey Tifa, you made it." Aerith turned around and gave her a hug.

"Of course, why would I be absent for my best friend's engagement party? Thanks for the invitation."

"No problem. Because of that, I'm gonna help you find a man here. I'm sure one of Zack's friends will be interesting for you."

She found the topic a quite uninteresting so she decided to switch the subject. "Err… can I get some food first? I'm starving already."

"Oh sure, feel free to eat up." Aerith lead her to the dining table.

Meanwhile, Zack and his friends from work were at the other side of the room. They were composed of his friends Reno, Tseng and his best friend Cloud. The guys were drinking beer and at the same time, rambling about their main interest, girls.

"So last night, Cissnei scolded me for going home late again." Reno shared and drank his bottle of beer.

"How can she not scold you, you've been flirting with every girl you meet at the bar." Zack replied.

"I wasn't flirting, I was just being friendly. I offered her a drink and just asked her to dance with me."

"Same thing dude." Zack said and finished his bottle. "You should learn how to stick to one girl or else your girlfriend is gonna leave you for good."

"She won't. She's crazy about me." Reno bragged.

"Whatever." Tseng interrupted. "Don't come running to us if she dumps you."

"Oh come on guys, what's with the treatment? I thought we're best of friends." Reno exclaimed.

"We are but you better stop treating your girl like that, man. It's not good." Zack answered.

"Yeah, yeah." The red head slumped down the couch and averted his attention to Cloud who was awfully quiet. "Yo Cloud, what's with the silence?"

Cloud didn't' reply as he continued to stare at her. He found her face quite familiar so he recalled where he saw her. After a few moments of deep thought, he finally remembered. She was the girl who left him stunned the other day when she passed by the coffee shop. His heart fluttered in joy because he thought he would never see her again but he was wrong, he saw her again in the most unexpected time and place. He looked at her from top to bottom as he mesmerized her beauty in her sparkling purple dress with her matching purple purse. He thought how beautiful and suitable she was in her outfit.

"He probably can't relate because he doesn't have a girlfriend." Tseng replied.

"No, I think he's staring at someone." Zack guessed. He fixed his eyes to the same direction as Cloud did and he had his attention to the person standing next to Aerith. "Tifa?"

"Tifa? That's her name?" Cloud snapped.

"The girl standing next to Aerith? Yeah that's Tifa Lockhart, she's Aerith's co-worker and best friend." He explained. "Why? You like her Cloud?"

"She's beautiful." He blurted.

"Then go talk to her man, ask her number, ask her out." Reno suggested.

Cloud shook his head in disapproval. "No, I shouldn't. With that beauty, she probably has a boyfriend by now."

"No, she doesn't." Zack interfered. "This is your chance Cloud. Go talk to her."

Tifa eventually caught him staring at her and he turned his head to avoided making eye contact. "She's looking at me."

"Come on Cloud, wink at her." Tseng pushed his shoulder.

"No, I can't. What if she gets mad?"

"Aww… Cloud you're such a wimp. You'll never get a girlfriend that way." Zack teased.

Tifa and Aerith were rambling in the kitchen when they caught Zack and his friends staring at him. They were whispering something to each other and they're obviously coaching Cloud to hit on Tifa.

"Hey, the guys are staring at you." Aerith told her.

"Err…" She didn't want to talk about it.

"Don't worry, all of them have girlfriends already except for someone." Aerith said in a hushed voice. "See that blonde guy over there, that's Cloud. He's Zack's best friend and guess what, he's single."

"Hmm… I think I saw him somewhere." Tifa tried to remember where she saw face.

"You know him, Tifa?"

"No, but I think saw him once." She replied. "I have to admit, he's kinda cute."

"You think so? Okay, I'll introduce you to him." Aerith walked away but Tifa pulled her by the arm.

"No. It's okay."

"Come on Teef, he's a nice guy and a true gentleman too." She commented.

"No thanks. I could stay single for a while."

"Fine." Aerith sighed and gave up.

Soon it was almost midnight and the couple began to clean up the place after almost all of their guests were gone. Tifa stayed a bit to help them clean up and so did Reno and Cloud. The two guys still kept on talking about Tifa behind her back and they're unaware that she's starting to get a bit irritated.

"Dude, I think she's starting to get annoyed. We better stop." Cloud said.

"None sense dude, now all you have to do is…" He said something in a soft voice until Zack interrupted.

"Yo Reno, you better head home now. You don't want to keep your girl waiting." Zack suggested and pushed him towards the door.

"Oh come on Zack, can I just stay a bit longer? I have some hitting-on-a-girl tips to tell to Cloudy the Wimpy here."

"Hey who you callin' a wimp?" Cloud clenched his fist.

"Whoa, whoa guys no fighting. Reno, you need to go. Cissnei's gonna be worried." Zack opened the door for him.

"But Zack…"

"Reno, out. Now." He pointed outside.

"Fine." Reno grabbed the door knob and slammed it, his action startled the girls in the kitchen.

"Zack, what was that?" Aerith called from the kitchen.

"Nothing dear, Reno's just drunk." He replied with the same volume.

After the girls finished washing the dishes, Tifa took off her apron and combed her hair in front of the mirror. Afterwards, she approached her best friend.

"Aerith, thanks for everything tonight." She said and grabbed her purse on the couch.

"You're welcome."

"You're going home now Tifa?" Zack asked her placed an arm around his fiancée.

"Yeah, it's almost midnight so I really need to go." She glanced at her wrist watch.

"Actually, it's past midnight already, fifteen minutes to be exact." Zack corrected.

"Hey, are you sure you'll be alright with you just walking home alone?" She asked with deep concern.

"Of course, I did it a few times already and it's not so bad. My house isn't that far from here."

"I know but I'm just worried." She sighed and looked up to Zack with worried eyes. "Zack do something."

He paused for a while and moments later, he snapped his hand to express his idea. "Hey I got it! Cloud, why don't you drive her home?"

Cloud jumped at his idea. "What? Why me? Why can't you drive her yourself?"

"I can't, I have to help Aerith clean up the place. Besides, I know you want to." He winked.

"But I-" He still hesitated.

"Please Cloud…" Aerith begged with her hands clasped.

"Oh fine." Cloud gave in to their request.

"Thanks Cloud. You're a real gentleman." She complimented.

"Okay, you two better get going now. We have to cleap up." Zack pushed them towards the door. "Bye Cloud, Bye Tifa."

"Zack wait-"Before he could say anything, Zack already closed the door. The two had no choice but to go with their decision and leave. Meanwhile inside Zack's apartment, Aerith's still felt a bit worried for her best friend.

"Zack, do you think they'll be fine?" Aerith asked with an anxious tone.

"They'll be fine. I trust Cloud, he can handle her. Just between you and me, Cloud had his eyes on Tifa all night. I can tell he likes her." He whispered in her ear.

"Really?" She leaned in and whispered her reply. "I think Tifa likes Cloud too. She couldn't avoid making secret glances at him. Plus she told me he was cute."

"Oh man, this is great dear. I bet those two would hook up. Honestly, they look great together."

"I agree. Not only we're a great match, we're also a great matchmaker." She joked.

"You can say that again." He agreed.

**To be continued**

**Author's Note: **So, how's my first chapter? Sorry if I made mistakes with my grammar, I'm not good at grammar so please understand. Take your time and tell me what you think, okay? Thanks!**  
**


	2. A Night to Forget?

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all those wonderful reviews and it totally motivated me to continue this. This chapter is for you guys, I hope you will like it!

**Chapter Two**

**A Night to… Forget?**

The streets were empty that night as the car sped along the highway. While Cloud steered the car down the freeway, he made a quick glance at the woman at his passenger's seat before he focused his eyes back on the road. Meanwhile, Tifa leaned back against her seat and looked at the view outside. She remained quiet as she crossed her arms.

Their was an awkward silence between the two. A factor of their awkwardness might be their social status. Two people with different social status usually don't interact with each other. Cloud was a rich man, at the age of 23 he's already a part-owner of a company that he and his colleague Zack established after graduation. He lives a comfortable life in a cozy and lavish home, he wears clothes that only the people in his level could afford and he owns a slick, silver sports car that any guy would dream of just to impress the ladies. Despite his costly possessions, Cloud is actually a lonely guy. Sure he's surrounded with great friends and could buy almost everything he wants but he doesn't have someone to share these great blessings with. He still felt that emptiness inside and he wished that there would be someone who will come into his life and make his life worth while.

On the other hand, Tifa's life is way different from his. She's a preschool teacher who just graduated a few months ago and after her graduation, she immediately got hired. She saved up some money for an apartment and some furniture but her money is just enough for her needs. She doesn't have the money and the time to buy a dress, shoes and other accessories. She's too busy with her priorities to be dwelling on these things such as shopping. Although Tifa dresses up in a simple fashion, every dress she wears suits her because of her radiant beauty that would leave any guy stunned and speechless. She contented with the life she has right now and she couldn't have anything better.

Cloud was too focused on driving the vehicle and at the same time, he was too timid to open up. Tifa found the aura very dull and lifeless so she decided to start a conversation.

"So Cloud, what do you do for a living?" She began.

"Well, I work as an engineer at Zack's company." He replied.

"How long have you been working there?" She asked again.

"Almost two years now, we established that company right after we graduated from college."

"So, that means you're a part owner of that company?"

"Yeah, I get a share from the income of the company." He answered.

"So you're rich then?"

"I don't want to put it that way but, yes." He said, trying to stay humble as possible.

"Wow… some guys have all the luck…"

"Not really." He paused for a few moments until he finally found the strength to talk to her, quite an unusual feeling there. "How 'bout you Tifa, what do you do?"

"I work as a preschool teacher."

"That's nice. I guess you love kids then." He said with fascination.

"I love kids and I love teaching. It's been my dream since I was young, to help children learn the different things around them likes animals, colors, shapes and objects." She elaborated.

He chuckled. "How cute. Do you get a good pay with your job?"

"I get a good pay, but it's just enough to fend for myself." She sighed.

"It's not a problem. You're single so the money's just right." He was unaware of his words.

"It's not that, you see my sister is going to live with me a month and a half from now because she's going to college so I need to look for another job so I can sustain our needs."

"What kind of job are you thinking?" He questioned her with curiosity.

"A bartender." She replied plainly.

"What? Why?" A hint of surprise was evident in his voice.

"Well, that's the only job I know that won't conflict my initial job."

"So a teacher in the morning, a bartender in the evening. That's kind of hectic." He said to her with concern.

"Oh please, they're in preschool not in college. They don't have term papers and essays that I could spend all night checking." She explained. "Plus, I already worked as a bartender back when I was in college due to financial reasons so, no problem."

"That's good." He said in relief.

A disturbing thought suddenly entered her mind and she decided to confront him about it. "Wait, how did you know I was single?"

"Err…" He became nervous and couldn't find an explanation.

"Oh, you stalker." She accused him playfully.

"I-I'm not! Z-Zack told me." He stammered at his nervousness.

She gave him a warm and relieving smile. "Just kidding. I believe you."

He sighed in relief, he thought he was going to lose her.

"Zack sure does have a loud mouth."

"Yeah, he's really like that. There was one time he slipped the surprise for Aerith's birthday, she was so mad that she didn't talk to him for almost a month." He said and recalled the memory.

"Oh that, Aerith told me about it. That was really funny especially when he vandalized the wall with a 'I'm sorry I'm such a big idiot, I love you Aerith'." Her reply was mixed with laughter.

He began laughing with her. "Uh-huh and he was charged for that, he had to render one month community service as a street sweeper."

"Poor Zack. Well, that doesn't matter now, they're getting married in two months! I feel so happy for them." She pondered.

"Me too, Zack has been waiting for this since our college days. He's so crazy about her."

"Totally." Tifa agreed.

The two continued their talk with different topics that would bring life to their awkwardness. It's been quite a while since Cloud had a good conversation with a girl and her voice was like music to his ears. He would love to hear such voice everyday and it would make his heart flutter in joy. This is the first conversation Cloud had without being awkward with the opposite sex. Would this lead into something he wanted for such a long time?

Tifa on the other hand found the interaction quite interesting and she never felt like this with the other guys she talked to before. He was different and she loved it. It's like Cloud had some charm in him that made Tifa feel reassured that she could trust him even if they just met.

The pair seemed to be carried away with their bonding moment that he was unaware that Tifa's apartment is just around the corner.

"Stop right there by the junction. That's my apartment over there." She pointed.

Cloud followed her order and stopped the car. He stepped out of the car, went to her side and opened the door for her.

"Thanks for driving me home tonight, Cloud." She smiled in appreciation.

"No problem." He scratched his head and blushed madly. "I guess this is goodbye then."

"I guess so." She said with a hint of hesitation.

"Okay, uhh… goodnight Tifa." He started walking towards his car.

When they were about to part ways, Tifa suddenly had a weird feeling. She felt that she didn't want him to go yet and wanted him to stay for a bit, to get to know him better. Unconsciously, she called him and it immediately caught his attention. "Cloud wait!"

He turned around to meet her face. "Hmm?"

"You wanna hang out a little in my place tonight?" She said and felt her cheeks burn. "Err… it's been quite a while since I hanged out with people. I was so busy with work that I wasn't able to maintain my social life."

He thought for a second before he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Okay, I could stay for a while."

Cloud went to his car, turned off the ending and locked it. Afterwards, they went upstairs to her apartment. As they walked through the corridors, Cloud felt his heart beating faster than usual. He knew where these things would lead to but he tried to set those thoughts aside. He wanted to know her better as well and this is a great opportunity to do so. Hopefully, it wouldn't end up in ways unexpected.

Tifa unlocked the door and went inside, Cloud opened the door wider for her. She switched on the lights and revealed her simple, humble home. It was a small apartment and it's only fit for one or two persons. It has a living room, a bathroom, two small bedrooms and a kitchen. Such simplicity is enough for Tifa since she's just starting off. If she had enough funds to move to an even better apartment, she definitely would.

"Sorry, if it's a bit small." She said, quite embarrassed.

"I don't mind at all, it's well maintained." Cloud remarked. The advantage of her small home is that it's easier to clean up because she doesn't have many things and he credited her for that.

"Thanks." She went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "You want something to drink? I have some beer left over here."

"You drink?" He asked her with surprise and sat on her couch.

"Sometimes but only during special occasions." She grabbed the cans and placed them on a tray along with two glasses.

"So, what's the recent occasion?"

"My sister's graduation party. She secretly invited some friends over and they partied all night long. That was the time I attended a seminar at Kalm so I didn't know and I wasn't there too. The next morning, I came back and the place was so messy, as if a tornado stormed the place. That explains why there are beer cans left." She placed the tray on the table in front of the couch.

"What did you do to her?"

"I made her clean up of course, plus she did all the chores while she was here." She sat on the couch but distanced herself from him.

"Where is she now?" He grabbed a bottle and poured the contents in to each glass.

"Back home. She didn't want to be here anymore because of the chores that await her. She wanted to spend summer with her friends before they part ways and go to college."

"Kids these days. I can tell she's a bit rowdy." He took the glass and drank the liquid.

"She is but I love her and she's the closest person I could open up to ever since my mother died."

"My? Don't you mean-" He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, she's not really my blood-related sister. She was abandoned when she was around five and my father adopted her." She explained to him.

"I see." He nodded and finished his glass. "Hey this beer is a bit strong, are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yeah, I had it a few times already and I felt normal." She answered him reassuringly.

"If you say so." He shrugged his shoulders.

"So, what do you want to do now?" She sipped on her beer and her expression changed as she tasted the bitter liquid.

"Let's just talk. I want to know you more." He replied and refilled his glass.

"But you just did."

"Yeah, but that was only brief information. We could exchange information to be fair enough." He offered.

"Alright." She agreed with slight hesitation.

"But let's add a little twist." He refilled her glass as well. "How about, everytime we exchange details, we drink one glass of beer."

"What if someone passes out or vomits?"

"Then he or she has to do some consequences." The tone of his voice was quite different. Tifa started to became nervous.

She gulped. "Like?"

"We'll think about it." He replied.

"Okay, I'm game." She cannot believe that she just agreed on his little game.

"Ready? Alright, first question. Why are you single?" He questioned directly.

"What? That's completely over the top! Can we start with a smaller question first?" She suggested.

"Aww, you're no fun Teef. Come on." He pleaded with hands clasped together. "Just answer the question."

His question was too much for her, she didn't want to answer it but she didn't want to lose the game either so she finally answered him, "Err… the reason why I'm single is that, I just don't think that having a boyfriend is such a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because I have a career to focus and I have to wait until I'm financially stable to have a boyfriend."

"Good enough. Drink." He told her and waited for her to finish a glass. "Now ask me."

She wiped her mouth with her hand and thought of a question, "Let's see… Where do you live?"

"That's boring." He commented and slouched on the sofa.

"What kind of questions do you want?" She asked, quite agitated about his demand.

"Like the ones I asked you." He answered. "You don't want to ask if I have a girlfriend?"

She rolled her eyes and asked, "Ugh… fine. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Okay, drink up. Next question."

"You don't want to ask why?" He slyly demanded.

She was starting to get a bit irritated but she tried to not make it obvious, "Why don't you have a girlfriend, Cloud?"

"Because all the girls I went out with didn't match my standards." He stated and drank his beer. "My turn. Second question, Do you like someone right now?"

"No." She replied almost immediately.

"Not a single bit?" He tried to make her confess.

"Nothing." She crossed her arms, she wasn't dumb to be deceived by his intention.

"I'll take that as an answer. Drink up." He said to her and watched her drink another glass. "Your turn."

She couldn't think of a question and she doesn't want to ruin the mood of the game so she blurted, "Same question."

"Yes."

"Okay, next question please." She said, wanting this game to end soon.

"You're not gonna ask who?"

"Err… who is it, Cloud?" She asked with slight curiosity.

"You."

His reply made her a bit uncomfortable as she shifted her position on the couch. "Next question."

He finished his drink and spoke, "What type of guy do you want?"

"Someone who's smart, a real gentleman, kind, loving, respectful and who's willing to take care of me when something happens to me." She uttered.

"Hmm… you don't want a rich guy? Someone who could lift you financially?" He told her in a coaxing voice.

"Who needs money if the relationship isn't doing very well? It's useless." She denied him. He was so easy to read and she won't allow herself to be fooled by him easily.

He shook his head, he was terrible at this game and she was too smart for him, "Okay, drink up. You ask this time."

As she drank the liquid, she felt the effect of the alcohol started to kick in. She tried to shake away that drunken feeling and asked, "Same question."

"Well, I like YOU." He confessed with a faint blush on his cheeks. The effect of the alcohol already started taking over him and this could explain the uncharacteristic behavior he's displaying.

"Ugh… you ask now."

"Have you ever been kissed?" He asked in a slur voice.

"No."

"On the cheek."

"Never."

"Forehead?"

"No, no wherever." She raised her voice slightly.

He saw that annoyed look on her face and gave up on asking. It's either she was telling the truth or she really didn't want to tell him at all. "Okay. You ask again."

She finished another glass and started to feel a bit dizzy. Her mind was so blurry to think of another question, "Ugh… same question."

"Why so curious?" He teased.

"Why is it bad to ask?"

"No."

She paused for a moment, "So, did you answer my question already?"

"Uhm… not yet. It's a yes by the way. All the girls I've went out with, but only on the cheek." His reply was similar to a drunken person.

"I won't ask who because with your reply, which is in the plural form, I think you've dated a lot."

"I admit, I've dated a lot but it never really lead to a serious relationship. Like I said, they didn't match my standards." He smirked and finished a glass.

"Alright. That's fair enough." She said and dropped her hands to her lap.

"Hey, lets end this game."

She leaned back against the couch and sighed in relief, "Finally."

"But, let me ask the final question."

'_I don't like the sound of this_' She shut her eyes and thought to herself.

"May I kiss you?" He said in a sweet but bashful tone.

She snapped and stood up from her seat in surprise, "What? That's not even a question!"

"It ends with a question mark so it's definitely a question." He answered and stood up in front of her, their faces were just a few centimeters apart.

"No way Cloud I will not allow that, we just met and you want to kiss right away it's-" He silenced her with a kiss. Tifa wasn't able to stop him and she struggled from his grip.

He pulled away from her immediately to see the look on her face. Her eyes remained still in deep shock, her face was as red as a tomato and she couldn't believe what just happen right now. On the other hand, Cloud had no idea of what he just did. Is it the effect of the alcohol or maybe he just couldn't keep his feelings anymore?

"Why did you do that?" She asked as she touched her lips in disbelief.

He closed the gap between their lips again to answer her question and this one is a bit clumsy. Cloud never kissed a girl on the lips before and that kiss proved it. He pulled away slightly and stared deeply into her eyes. After the brief moment, he captured her lips with his again and to his surprise, she found herself kissing him back.

"Cloud I…" She groaned.

The kiss became a bit more heated and fervent this time. He wrapped her arms around her slender figure and pulled her body closer to hers. Tifa involuntarily encircled her arms around his neck and she had no idea why she was giving in. She found herself melting to his kiss and she could feel the tension building up between them. She ran her hands through his blonde locks, coaxing him to take the kiss further. Cloud knew what she wanted as he parted her lips and slid his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her like candy.

Without breaking the kiss, he walked forward and she stepped back until her back hit the wall. He gripped on her wrists and pinned her against it. Cloud left her mouth and started to nuzzle down her neck and left a trail of kisses. Tifa moaned softly as she embraced his head. She found his hands exploring her features and it made her moan a little louder. She felt her legs move by themselves and settled around his waist. Cloud found the move very seductive as he retuned to kiss her again with burning passion. He placed both hands underneath her thighs for support and walked towards a certain room. He pressed her against the door and her free hand unconsciously opened the door to her bedroom. The two stumbled onto her bed as they continued to kiss each other hungrily.

They both knew where this was going to lead them but at that moment, they didn't care one bit. All they know is that this is what they wanted and the fact that they just met didn't really matter anymore. They pulled away for air and stared lovingly and deeply into each others eyes. Tifa caressed his blushed cheek and smiled at him. Cloud kissed her palm and planted a gentle kiss on her lips as well. Tifa initiated to take the kiss further this time as her hand rested on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. With that kiss, all their worries suddenly faded as the flame of passion ignited. Whatever they were about to do didn't seem like a mistake anymore as they start undressing each other.

Soon it was morning. Tifa slowly opened her eyes and checked her clock by her bedside table, it was 6:04 in the morning. She sat up and whimpered as she felt an unusual pain beneath her. She tried to keep her voice down so as not to disturb the sleeping figure next to her. She stared down at him and eyed him from his well-built chest up to his handsome face. Moments later, the idea finally managed to sink in. Her eyes widened in surprise to see the man with only the sheets protecting his body. She pulled the covers up and saw that she was naked as well. And there she came to realize what just happened…

"AAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Tifa?" He opened his eyes and called her in a sleepy voice.

"What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?" She pushed him out of the bed and his body made a thud sound as he fell on the floor. She held the sheets tightly over her body to cover her nakedness.

"Tifa let me explain-" He stood up, completely forgetting that he was naked before her.

"Why are you naked? Put some clothes on." She looked away and blushed.

He grabbed his boxers from the floor and pulled it on to cover his intimate part. "Tifa, I'm sorry about last night. I wasn't able to control myself."

"You used the alcohol to take advantage of me. I hate you!" She threw a pillow at his face.

"Tifa, I said I'm sorry okay."

"Get out of my house, Cloud." She angrily pointed out the door.

"Tifa, please forgive me. I really didn't mean to—"He pulled pants on as he tried to explain to her.

"Mean to what? To make me drunk so you could have sex with me? Is that it Cloud?" Her voice was furious.

"That is—"

"Look I don't need your explanation right now just get the hell out of here! And take your clothes with you." She hastily picked up his shirt.

"Tifa I—"

"GET OUT! I don't want to see your face ever again!" She roughly handed it to him without even checking if her own was included.

"Fine, I'll leave. But I just want to let you know that I really like you. I can't say that I love you but I really, really like you Tifa and-" She pushed him out of her apartment without giving him a chance to finish. She locked the door so he won't be able to open it. "Tifa? Tifa, open the door."

"No, go away!" She replied and leaned against the door.

"Tifa just let me explain." He knocked hard on the door many times without caring that he's making a distracting noise.

"NO! I HATE YOU!" She shouted from the inside.

"Tifa…"

"What the hell is that noise?"An old lady said as she went out of her room. She gasped in surprise to what she saw. "Oh my… young man, please put some clothes on!"

"Why the hell are you barging on her like that in six in the morning? You're disturbing the other residents." Another lady reprimanded him.

"Sorry. I'll leave now." He buttoned his shirt to cover his chest and walked away in shame.

**To be continued**

**Author's Note: **Bad chapter, sorry. But this is the only way I can think of to lead them into that one night stand which will trigger the main story later on. So, I really want to know what you guys think. If you think that this is crap, then I apologize in advance but if you guys think it's funny, unique or whatever, I'd be happy to continue it for you. Sorry for the errors by the way. Thanks for reading!


	3. Apologies

**Chapter Three: Apologies**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. They are owned by SE respectively.**

**Author's Note: **Sorry if I took a little while before I could update. Exams, projects and homeworks bombarded me almost every day in the past weeks of school and believe me, I couldn't get enough sleep because of those. Finally, here I am and I managed to slip some time to work on this and thankfully, I was able to finish it. Next week, exam slash hell week so expect no update. The week after that, probably, but I can not assure. For the meantime, please take your time and read this. Enjoy!

Another week starts for Tifa as she prepares herself for work. She stared at her reflection as she absentmindedly combed her hair in front of the mirror. Her mind was flew in different directions as she applied lipstick on her soft, cherry red lips and it made a slight mess at the edge of her lower lip. She wiped it gently with her thumb and breathed out a long sigh afterwards.

"Tifa, forget everything that happened the other night. Everything is going to be okay from now. Just stay focus." She uttered to herself as she went out of her room.

Her mind was at a lost. Her thoughts had its attention to the events that occurred the other night as she walked towards the door. It was bothering her like hell. She tried to erase the memory but they just kept on reappearing. She tried to think about other things such as lessons, events and other stuff that would preoccupy her mind but they obviously didn't work. Poor Tifa, this is going to be a long and hard day.

As she exited her apartment, she was startled at the surprise that awaited her.

"Hey Tifa, good morning!" Cloud greeted as he leaned against his car.

"Don't 'good morning' me, Cloud. Didn't I tell you to stay out of my sight?" She replied and crossed her arms.

"You didn't tell me that, you just told me to get the hell out of your apartment." He said with sarcasm.

"Then, what are you doing?"

"I'm outside your apartment not inside."

"Whatever. Just don't say close to me." She said started walking away from him.

"Wait."

She stopped her tracks and glared at him, "What?"

"I want to apologize to what happened last Saturday night."

"That should've never happened." She said heavily.

"But it did and I'm sorry." Cloud said and begged with clasped hands. "I want to make it up to you."

"Not now Cloud, I'm late for work." She refused and resumed walking away from him.

He ran towards her and tried to keep up with her pace, "I'll drive you to your workplace."

"No thanks. I can walk there, it's not that far from here." She said without looking at him.

"But you'll be late if you-"

"Shut up! Why the hell are you still following me? Didn't I tell you-" Tifa exclaimed, quite agitated by his presence.

"But Tifa you only said-"His reply was cut off again.

"Enough with the crappy talk! I don't need your sarcastic explanations right now." She interjected, her feet walked as fast as she could to avoid him.

"Look," He stopped in front of her and took a deep breath before he continued, "I'm sorry, Tifa."

Tifa completely ignored his apology and continued her way towards her workplace. On the other hand, Cloud gave in for the mean time and went inside his vehicle. While driving his way to work, his mind was still fixed on Tifa and what happened to them that fateful night. It was his first time and he couldn't have it any better. He knew that what happened to them was quite rushed and totally improper but he had this strange feeling that it was the right thing to do. There was also a part of him that regretted what happened. I mean, why would they even have sex during their first meeting? Unless you're being paid to do it but that wasn't their case. They just weren't able to control themselves from the strong influence of a medium called alcohol. Cloud's conscience kept on pounding him like crazy. It was a very ungentlemanly thing to do, he thought and his heart clenched at the fact that he actually disrespected her in some way. He wanted to apologize to her badly but she kept on refusing. Despite this, Cloud was still positive. He will apologize to her but he knows it'll really take time before she could forgive him completely and he's willing to wait for that.

Few minutes later, Cloud finally arrived at his work place. He immediately went to his desk and slumped on his chair.

"So how's Tifa? Did you two hook up?" Zack asked out of the blue.

Cloud jumped in surprise but answered him in a relaxed tone, "Err… I can't tell you that Zack."

"Ooh… I guess something happened beyond a hook up." He winked.

"No we just talked."

"Did you kiss her?" He asked with curiosity.

"Secret." Cloud answered and spun his seat.

"Aww you kissed her Cloud." Zack teased.

"What Cloud kissed somebody? Now this is great news." Reno said as he heard the conversation.

"I did not." He denied but the blush on his cheeks made his lying very obvious.

"Oh he's blushing so it's true then." Tseng butted in.

"Really? Who is it Cloud?" Reno questioned as his curiosity grew.

He shook his head.

"It's probably Tifa. She's the last girl that he likes that he's been with recently." Zack replied on his behalf.

Reno patted his friend on his shoulder. "Congrats man, on the lips this time?"

"Guys, asking those questions are useless because I'm not spoiling anything." Cloud said and crossed his arms.

"Boo! You suck Cloud." Reno yelled.

"Yeah, I thought we were supposed to be buddies." Tseng added.

"We are but there are things that are best left unsaid. Period." Cloud punctuated, refusing to spill the beans.

"Come on, just tell us if you kissed her or not." Reno insisted.

"Dudes, stop it. There are things that shouldn't be said at all. Just respect the guy, he has his own private life. Whether he really kissed her or not, that's out of our business." Zack said, making Cloud feel a bit relieved.

"Fine. Someday, the secret will be spoiled soon." The red head said and left the guys.

Meanwhile, Tifa sits alone in her table at the faculty lounge. The events of last Saturday night infiltrated her mind again. She remembered it vividly as she reminisced quietly on her seat. His strong arms wrapped around her body tightly, his well-toned chest against hers thus closing the gap between them, his soft lips roamed its way from her neck to her firm breasts and his face, his handsome feature expressed lust and desire.

Wait!

If she didn't like what happened between them, then why was she thinking about it? Could she be experiencing a hangover after having sex for the first time? Maybe. Although she found the thought very uncomfortable and disturbing, the experience itself was somehow unforgettable, satisfying and stress-relieving. Tifa cursed herself mentally and landed a slap on her cheek, trying to get herself back in reality before somebody will notice her little fantasy. Suddenly, her best friend approached her from behind and made her shoulders shudder in surprise.

"Hey Teef, are you okay?" Aerith asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm? Yeah why?" She replied absentmindedly.

"You seemed to be spacing out. Is everything okay?" Her tone was anxious.

"Yes, everything's fine." She answered flatly.

"So, what happened between you and Cloud last Saturday?" Aerith asked and sat beside her.

"Nothing, we just talked."

"How is he?"

"He's okay. He's nice."

"Do you like him?" Her curiosity grew.

"After what he did to me, do you expect me to like him?" She suddenly raised her voice.

Aerith was surprised by her response and blinked in confusion, "He did what?"

"Oh nothing…" Her cheeks started to blush.

"Oh my gosh," Aerith gasped as she saw her flushed face, "He kissed you didn't he?"

"No." She lied and felt her body tensed.

"You're blushing."

"I'm not." She shook her head.

"Yeah right, he kissed you. I can tell, Teef." Aerith teased her friend.

"H-He did not." She stammered in nervousness.

"I don't believe you." Aerith said with a look of mischief on her face.

"Okay he did but only on the cheek." Tifa gave in but blurted a lie.

"Aww it's okay, but it would be better if it's on the lips though."

Suddenly, the school bell rang which signaled the start of the afternoon session with her students. Tifa thanked the heavens that she was saved by the bell. She didn't want this conversation to go even further and she didn't want to remember it either. If the conversation did go on, she might say the unthinkable that would definitely leave Aerith in grave shock.

Tifa stood up and hurriedly gathered her stuff for her next class, "I'll see you at dismissal time, Aer."

Few hours have passed and it was finally dismissal time. After they dismissed their students, the two ladies dismissed themselves from school as well. They walked away from the school, happy that another day at work is over. They chatted as they walked their way down the sidewalk but the talking halted when Aerith suddenly gasped.

"Oh I forgot, me and Zack were suppose to canvass for the wedding cake! Oh I better call him." Aerith said as she rummaged her bag for her phone.

As soon as she was about to call him, Zack suddenly made his entrance. "Hey dear, sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. We have an appointment to attend remember?" She said and placed her phone back inside her bag.

"Yeah, that's why I came here as fast as I could." He replied, breathing heavily.

"Sorry Teef but we have some plans." Aerith turned and informed her friend.

"It's alright, Aer." Tifa frowned.

"Maybe Cloud can take you home again." Zack suggested.

"NO." Her eyes widened in exclamation.

"Why? Did something happen between the both of you?" He asked with slight confusion.

Tifa felt her body tensed and she shook her head several times, "No nothing happened, okay. Please don't tell him to pick me up."

"Sorry, I already did." Zack said as he flipped his phone close.

"Then tell him to cancel it." She demanded.

"Too late, he's already here."

"Hey Aerith, Hey Tifa." Cloud said as he made his way towards his friends.

"Hi Cloud, could you do me a favor?" Aerith asked.

"Sure, anything." He shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"Could you take Tifa home again? I can't walk with her today because Zack and I have to go some places." Aerith said as she took her fiancée's hand in hers.

"No problem. Come on Tifa." Cloud said and offered her an arm.

"Wait!" Tifa snapped. "Aerith, what gives? Why are you letting him take me home?"

"Nothing's wrong with that Teef. Cloud's a nice guy and he's being a gentleman to you by driving you home." Zack replied convincingly.

"It's okay, I'm 22 years old already I can walk myself home."

"But what if guys will kidnap you or something?" Aerith assumed.

"Aerith, it's 4:30 in the afternoon. Who would be dumb enough to kidnap somebody at this time of the day?" Tifa replied, quite irritated.

"Oh come Teef, just hop on!" Zack pushed her towards the passenger seat. He immediately closed the door and placed a strong force against it so she won't be able to open it.

"Wait Zack! Aerith do something!" Tifa called out her friend as she tapped her hands on the window.

"Bye Cloud, Bye Tifa. Have fun!" Aerith smiled warmly and waved at them.

Tifa sighed as she leaned against her seat, annoyed and furious about what happened awhile ago. The couple forced her into this situation and her efforts to struggle her way out of it were useless. She was so mad and this is the last place she didn't want to be. The aura of heated anger ragingly coming out of her but she tried her best to stay calm on her seat. Meanwhile, Cloud noticed the not-so-good ambience of his passenger and decided to open up to break the silence, at the same time to give her some time to chill down.

"So, how's your day?" Cloud began.

"Fine." She replied tonelessly.

"How are the kids?"

"Great." She answered in the same manner.

He noticed how unmotivated she was and insisted, "Hey, you could at least elaborate your answer."

"Why should I even talk to you?" She exclaimed coldly.

"Tifa, I'm really sorry about what happened okay. Just forgive me." Cloud pleaded.

"How can I just easily forgive you Cloud? You stole my first kiss and we did the deed afterwards." She explained hastily. "First of all, why did you even do that?"

"Because it felt like it was the right thing to do." He responded.

"What?"

"Because I like you." He blurted despite his shy nature.

Tifa felt her cheeks burning from his sudden confession, "Take that back, Cloud."

"I can't. I really like you Tifa. Is it bad to like somebody?" He asked.

"No but you were getting a way a head of yourself. We're not even a couple to begin with." She remarked.

"You're right. But to tell you honestly, I liked what happen between us and I know you liked it too."

"What? How can you even say that?" She snapped at his accusation.

"Because you didn't even try to stop me." He reasoned out.

"We were drunk Cloud. We weren't thinking." She said with a palm against her face.

"I was but when you kissed me back, it's as if you didn't want to stop it so I went further." He explained, making her feel a bit uncomfortable on her seat.

"Further enough for you to have sex with me? My gosh, all of you men are so alike. All of just want to use us for your own pleasurable desires." Tifa said with her arms raised this time.

"I'm not, I'm different."

"Why are you gay or something?" She asked with an arched brow.

"What? No. Listen, that happened because I felt like you were the one. Being with you is so different from the other girls I've been with." Cloud answered in a gentle tone.

"So, I'm the n-th girl you've been in bed with?" She gave out a long sigh. "My, I feel like a complete slut right now."

"No Tifa, you're the first girl I've been intimate with and waiting for that kind of experience was definitely worth it." He replied honestly.

"Ugh… enough of this crap, just drive me home Cloud." She demanded much to her discomfort with the subject.

The pair stopped talking and an awkward atmosphere shrouded Cloud's car and it lasted until they finally arrived at her apartment's doorsteps.

"No goodbye again?" He said and placed both hands in his pocket.

"You're not even worthy of one goodbye from me." She turned and glared at him.

"Tifa, I'm really, really sorry. Do you want me to kneel in front of you just to ask for forgiveness?"

"No, that's unnecessary."

Cloud went down to both knees and begged with clasped hands, "Please?"

What she saw in front of her right now made her even more furious, "I hate you Cloud."

"If you can't forgive me, can we be at least just friends?" He asked and stood up, trying to be unaffected by her bitterness.

"Hell no Cloud, we will never be anything. Not acquaintances, not friends and most especially not lovers!" She yelled at him with anger in her eyes.

"Tifa…"

"Stay out of my life Cloud, I don't want to see that dumb, arrogant face of yours ever again!" Tifa said and slammed the door right in front of his face.

Cloud sighed and gave in for the second time. He could not believe rejection slapped him for the first time. He was never denied by a girl before, until now, all thanks to Tifa Lockhart. He stood there for a while and waited for the information to completely sink in. Suddenly, it started to rain. As soon as a drop pelted on his face, he slipped both of his hands in his pocket and started to walk away with his face ducked in misery.

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **So, how's my third chapter? Is it okay? Are the characters okay? Was Tifa too harsh? Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks! :D


	4. Sickness

**Chapter Four: Sickness**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. They belong to Square Enix respectively.**

**Author's Note: **Finally! The exams are over! Now I have some time to update this. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate it. Anyway, this is the next chapter. This is where the fun starts. Enjoy!

Two months have passed since Cloud and Tifa last saw each other. During those two full months, the two never bothered to talk to each other even just thru text, e-mail or voice messages. Both parties tried as much to forget each other and what happened that fateful night.

Tifa continued her teaching career and she's currently busy choreographing her student's choral presentation which is scheduled less than a week from now. Meanwhile, Cloud's career is still on the go. He received tons of projects and was invited to a countless number seminars and conventions for people in the same profession as him. Yup, those two sure have a tight work schedule that made them too preoccupied to even think about each other.

But sometimes, thinking about each other seems inevitable, especially for Cloud. During his day-off, he usually wakes up at around 10am. Before he leaves his bed for breakfast, he often lies in bed for a few minutes and finds himself staring blankly at the ceiling. He admits that he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her, wondering how she's doing and assuming if she already has a boyfriend. Although the pain of Tifa's rejection still hurts him even until now, his admiration and deep affection for the young lady still dominates him to even dislike her one bit.

As for Tifa, she tried her best to completely forget about Cloud and what happened between them beneath the satin sheets. But there are times her thoughts go back to him, the unthinkable and the rejection, mostly regarding the rejection. The memory was still fresh in her mind even though it happened weeks ago. She knew herself that she was harsh on him and she also knew that she had to right to do that. She barely knew the guy and her basis for judgment of his character is just the one night stand, which she totally loathed.

For some reason, there are times that she feels a bit concerned for him. Her conscience kept on bothering her about Cloud, to apologize, to forgive and to give him another chance. She should give him a chance and being friends could be a start. This is an opportunity to get to know him better and he could do the same. But still, there's a little hint of hesitation in Tifa's mind. She was scared. She feared that if she got to know him too much, she might find herself like the guy or eventually fall in love with him. Love, the feeling that Tifa dreaded even up to this moment of her 22 years of life. She doesn't want to be in love, not right now.

One fine Saturday, Tifa stared at her reflection in the mirror of her bathroom. She observed herself and cupped her face with her hand, she was pale and her eyes were weak. She definitely wasn't feeling well today. But despite her bad condition, she doesn't want to stay at home and lie in bed all day. She has to meet up with Aerith today so she could fit her dress for the wedding.

"I don't feel so good today…" She sighed and glanced at her wall clock, "I better go, Aerith's waiting for me. I'm sure this will just pass."

She walked down the sidewalk and the sick feeling was still present. She witnessed her world spinning and felt a burning sensation in her upper digestive tract. She clamped at hand over her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting. She closed her eyes, wishing that the sickness would subside for a while until she gets home and fortunately it worked, for now. She continued her phase until she finally arrived at the dress shop.

She peeked from the outside before she opened the door and went to her friend, "Hey Aerith, sorry I took so long."

"It's okay Tifa. I'm glad you still came though."Aerith gave out one of her genuine smiles but it suddenly turned into a frown upon noticing her face, "Hey, you look a little pale. Is there something wrong?"

"I think so, I feel so sick today I just don't know why." She replied as she sat down the cozy chair.

"Have you eaten anything bad lately? Maybe it's just food poisoning." Aerith said and rubbed her back.

"I really don't know, but I feel so worried." She sighed.

"Here is your dress Miss Aerith." The store clerk approached her with a large box in her hands.

"We'll figure out things right after I'm done here, okay?" She said reassuringly.

The brunette nodded and took her dress from the lady. She went to the dressing room and began trying her wedding gown. After a few minutes, she finally emerged from the dressing room in her bridal dress.

"Wow, Aerith you're beautiful." Tifa complimented as she stood up from her seat.

"You think so?" She looked at her reflection the mirror and couldn't help but blush.

"Of course, Zack's gonna have his eyes on you for a long time."

"Thanks. Oh here's your dress by the way. You want to try it on?" Aerith handed to her another box.

"Sure, I'll be back." She said and went inside the next cubicle.

Aerith waited for Tifa to finish fitting her dress. After a few moments, she exited the dressing room with her dress but still unzipped at the back.

"Hey Aer, can you zip my dress?" Tifa asked and turned around.

"No problem," Aerith said but struggled to pull the zipper up. She exerted more force to zip it but it just won't budge, "Whoa, it's a little tight on you."

"What? But we just measured that 3 weeks ago." She alarmed.

"A month ago, Teef." She corrected.

"Oh."

"Don't worry we'll just tailor it a bit and it'll be fine." She said with a smile and Tifa nodded. Emerald orbs scanned her figure from head to toe and noticed a slight change in her physique, "Teef, have you been eating a lot lately?"

Now that she mentioned it, she has been eating a lot these days, is it because of hormonal change? "I guess I have, it's weird but my appetite increased all of a sudden."

"That explains why you've gotten a bit fat, not to mention your boobs are getting bigger too." She commented with her eyes fixed on her emphasized feature.

"Aerith!" She interjected and shyly covered her chest with both arms.

"Come on Tifa, we're both girls. We both have that only yours is way bigger than mine." Aerith winked playfully.

"Err…" She groaned much to her discomfort.

After the two ladies finished their business at the dress shop, they went to the mall for window shopping and afterwards ate lunch together at the simple restaurant. When they were about to browse for more clothes, Aerith suddenly got a call from her fiancée Zack and told her to come to his work place. Aerith wanted to stay with Tifa a little longer and didn't want to go at first but when he started pouting, she had no choice but to give in. Much to Aerith's disappointment, the two said their goodbyes and parted ways. Tifa immediately went home so she could get some rest from their long day. When she opened her apartment door, the lights flickered on and a girl abruptly jumped right in front of her.

"Surprise!"

"Yuffie! I thought you would arrive here to days from now?" asked the surprised Tifa.

"So what? I'm excited to see you sis so I came a little early." Yuffie grinned widely.

"Oh that's good."

"I whipped up a good buffet for you tonight to celebrate our reunion." Yuffie took her hand and led her towards the dining table.

Her eyes widened upon seeing the table filled with food, from the appetizer down to the dessert. She could feel her stomach rumbling from hunger. "Wow, where did you learn how to cook?"

"Well, I just learned. I did all the cooking back home so I gained experience." She replied as she took off her apron. "So, what are you waiting for sis? Let's dig in!"

The two sisters ate together at the dining table. Tifa grabbed a plate and swiftly took a piece of food from each category. Yuffie noticed how her sister's plate was getting full but she didn't mind because she thought she was just starving. On the other hand, Tifa realized how hungry she really was and began to eat heavily. It was a very unusual because she's usually conscious of her diet at right now, she doesn't seem to care at all. After dinner, Yuffie took the used plates from the table and insisted on washing the dishes tonight.

"So how was dinner?" Yuffie asked as she carefully placed the plates on the sink.

"Very…" When Tifa was about to reply, she suddenly felt a weird feeling in her stomach. She placed a hand on her abdomen and another on her mouth, muffling the next word she uttered. "… good."

She rushed into the bathroom as fast as she could and slammed the door shut. Yuffie ran towards her direction and knocked on the door to check on poor Tifa.

"Teef, are you okay?" The teenager asked and leaned her ear against the door. She could hear her coughing from the inside.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She replied hoarsely.

After she flushed the toilet, she gargled to wash away the rancid breath caused by her vomiting and exited the bathroom afterwards. Tifa looked paler than she was before, she must've been dehydrated from all the fluids she released.

"Is it my cooking? Sorry if I had some flaws." She stated in concern.

"It's not the food, actually you did great. I just had a bad case of stomach flu, I think." She answered with a hint of uncertainty.

"You want to go to the doctor to get a check up?"

"That's alright. I can still handle it." She shook her head in reply.

"Or maybe you were just overeating." Yuffie pondered.

"I guess so." She shrugged.

Two more weeks have passed and it was already time for Zack and Aerith's wedding. The church was filled with guests from their relatives to their closest friends. While the others were outside busy preparing for the ceremony, Tifa was inside Aerith's dressing room and the two gushed about wedding jitters.

"Tifa, I'm so nervous." Aerith said as she fanned herself.

"Calm down Aerith. Aren't be you suppose to be happy that you're going to marry Zack? I know you've longed for this ever since you started dating him." Tifa held her friend's hand tightly, trying to soothe her out.

"Yeah but…" She uttered with her voice trembling.

"Don't worry, after the ceremony everything will… be… fine." She could taste the vomit at the top of her throat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wishing that the sickness won't trigger at this very important moment.

"Tifa?" She asked with a worried tone. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." She gave out a smile of relief and softly said to herself, "I think."

Meanwhile, Zack stood nervously in front of the altar as he tapped his foot several times on the floor. Beads of sweat started rolling down his face in nervousness. As much as he wants to take their relationship to the next step, he was getting uneasy and it was evident in his actions.

"Oh man I'm so nervous…" Zack said, fidgeting.

"Calm down, dude." Cloud placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to make him settle down.

"What if she'll ditch me?" He assumed with a serious look on his face.

"She won't."

"Cloud I-"He turned his attention back to the crowd. "Hey, here comes Tifa."

Upon seen her in the beautiful lavender dress she wore, Cloud suddenly felt his knees weaken and felt like the air was sucked right out of him. Her presence left him stunned and speechless as she gracefully walked down the aisle.

"Cloud, are you okay?" The raven haired guy asked and waved a hand on his face, snapping him back to reality.

"Uhm… yeah. I'm fine." He cleared his throat. _'God, she's so beautiful. I could stare at that beauty all day…'_

After a little while, Aerith finally arrived. She was dressed in her long, white, strapless bridal gown and with a bouquet of roses in her hands. She was a beautiful bride indeed. She flashed a gleeful smile as she slowly made her way down the aisle. As soon as reached the altar, Zack grinned widely as he nervously took her hand in his and commenced the start of the formality.

The wedding ceremony went smoothly. After their kiss, the newly wedded bride and groom turned to the crowd and they received a warm round of applause from them. Cloud stayed beside Zack and congratulated the married couple. After a brief handshake, Cloud turned his attention to the woman of his dreams. He couldn't help but make secret glances at her even during the nuptial rite. She was so gorgeous and he couldn't take his eyes off her even just for a quick second.

And then, he imagined. What would it be like if it's his wedding with Tifa? He's picturing it out, him and Tifa exchanging rings and promising their vows to each other and then sharing their very first kiss as a married couple. Unfortunately, Cloud's little fantasy was disrupted when Zack tapped his shoulder.

"Cloud!" The black haired guy called his attention.

"Huh?" He mumbled absentmindedly.

"Dude, you're spacing out. What's up?" Zack asked and looked at the same direction as him. "Oh, Tifa."

"She's so beautiful." Cloud dazed.

"Don't just stare at her man, talk to her." He insisted.

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore?"

"Of course, she does. Come on!" He pushed him with great force, making him bump Tifa from behind.

"Ouch! What the hell?" She turned around and their eyes met once again in the last two months, "Cloud?"

"Tifa, I'm so sorry. Zack pushed me and-" He explained in a rapid tone.

"It's okay." She gave him a fake smile and fixed her dress. When the guests began exiting the church, she started to walk her way out as well.

"Hey, where are you going?" Cloud asked as he tried to catch up with her.

"To the reception, where else would I be going?" She replied hastily.

"We could go together if you don't mind." He suggested.

"No, I can go there myself." She stated without looking at him.

"Tifa." He held her wrist tightly to prevent her from walking away even further. He needs to talk to her, badly. "Please. I want to talk to you, just give me a chance to redeem myself."

She paused for a while to ponder on it. She could use a little talk with him and give him another chance, she won't lose anything if she did. Plus, this could be a great opportunity to maybe settle things with him. "Okay."

The drive went steady as the car sped along the highway. The aura of awkwardness shrouded them again as they remained silent in their seat. Tifa gazed outside the window while pondering in deep thought.

"Tifa, I want to-" He began.

"Apologize?" She guessed what he was about to say.

"Well, I-yes."

"Cloud, I should be the one who needs to apologize." She said and finally looked at him. "I was harsh to you without even knowing you completely. You don't deserve to be treated that way."

"Tifa…"

"There are times that I regret telling you all those mean stuff. My conscience kept on bothering me to say sorry and so, here I am. Cloud, I'm sorry." Her words were sincere and the way she said it made his heart melt like butter.

"It's fine, Tifa. Apology accepted." He gave out a small smile. "I was hoping you could do the same to me, for taking advantage of you and-"

"I forgive you Cloud, I already did a long time ago." She beamed at him.

"You did?"

"Yeah, there's not use of staying mad at you anyway. I should get to know you better rather than treat you like trash." Tifa chuckled.

"I hope it's still not too late to start again." He said bashfully.

"It never was." She admitted. "So, friends?"

"Friends."

After a few minutes of driving down the city streets, they finally arrived at the wedding reception. It was a tent surrounded by a garden of different kinds of flowers. The entrance was a red carpet with petals scattered around it. The ambiance was simple, calm and romantic and it was definitely a perfect place to celebrate the union between husband and wife.

Cloud parked the car across the street. After he got out of the driver side, he went to the passenger side to open the door for Tifa. She smiled at him as he took her hand and assisted her out of the car. He gentlemanly offered her and arm and she gladly accepted. As they walked down the red carpet, Tifa's vision suddenly spun around and the sick feeling in her stomach revisited her again.

"Whoa… I don't…" She uttered and held on to him tightly.

"Tifa, are you okay?" He asked as they stopped their tracks.

"Yes, I just feel a bit dizzy that's all."

"You look pale. Are you sick? I could take you to the doctor." He suggested.

"No, I'm fine Cloud. I can still manage, really." She lied.

"No you're not, you're going to the doctor, missy." He said and dragged her back towards the car.

"Cloud! I'm fine I tell you. You don't need to-"Her words were cut off when everything turned black and her body suddenly collapsed.

"Tifa! Tifa!" He called out but no response. He immediately picked her up bridal style and carried him back to the vehicle. "Don't worry, I'll take you to the hospital."

He drove the car as fast as he could and arrived at the hospital in no time. He took the unconscious Tifa in his arms and carried her inside the establishment. The nurses quickly tended to the patient and took her to the ward. Cloud couldn't help but feel more worried about her as he watched the nurses assessed her vital signs. Afterwards, a doctor approached him and asked him to take a seat while waiting for the results of her sudden fainting. The blonde followed her orders and sat down the nearest bench. He clasped his hands together and started praying silently for her recovery. His meditation stopped abruptly as his cellphone began to ring. He read the caller I.D. and it was Zack. He pressed the answer button and positioned the device against his ear.

"_Zack?"_

"Dude, where the hell are you?" Zack's asked in a loud voice.

Aerith grabbed the cellphone from her husband and exclaimed, "Cloud, where's Tifa? What have you done to her?"

"_I did nothing, okay? Tifa suddenly fainted and I'm here at the hospital right now."_

"What? What happened to her?" She felt her heart suddenly raced upon hearing his news.

"_I don't know, the doctors are still checking her up."_

"Oh dear, Tifa. I'm going there-"

"_No Aerith, you should just stay there. Today's your wedding day and you have guests to accommodate. I'll be here with Tifa and I won't leave her, I promise."_

"Okay Cloud, please keep an eye on her." Her voice felt like it was about to break.

"_I will. I'll call you back."_

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **Oohh…cliffhanger. Sorry if this chapter isn't that well written, their feelings aren't portrayed well, I know. It's because I didn't like this chapter too much I had a hard time typing it. Anyway, what do you think happened to Tifa? Could she be…? Maybe. So you really need to stay tune for the next chapter to find out. For the mean time, why don't you give me a review and tell me what you think, okay? Thanks for reading.


	5. I'm Pregnant!

**Chapter Five: I'm Pregnant?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. They belong to Square Enix respectively.**

**Author's Note: **Okay, sorry for the delayed update. My little vacation is finally over and school starts once again. This time I'm gonna be extremely busy, busy as in every night I really need to study my lessons because were going to have a quiz every day. Wow, not only I'm losing my social life but also my writing career. Hopefully this will not affect my interest in writing and this story as well. Anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter it's the least I could do for all of you.

Tifa slowly opened her eyes and sat up on her hospital bed. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and to her surprise, a lady in a lab coat stood in front of her with a gentle smile on her face. She read the nameplate on her left bosom and identified her as Dr. Lucrecia Crescent.

"Where am I?" She asked weakly.

"You're at the hospital dear. According to the guy who brought you here, you just fainted all of a sudden." She explained and sat on the chair in front of her patient.

Tifa nodded at her explanation and breathed a long sigh. Of course, there has to be a reason why she was admitted. She was ill. The question that lingered in her mind right now was, what could her illness be? She was not a medical professional so she could not determine on her own and she definitely needs someone who's knowledgeable in this field to determine what was wrong with her.

"Doc, there's something wrong with me these days."

Lucrecia grabbed her clipboard and began writing her diagnosis, "Well then, could you tell me something more about your sickness? Like the signs and symptoms."

The brunette fixed her eyes towards the ceiling, trying to recall everything she experienced recently with regards to her condition, "I've been vomiting a lot lately, usually in the morning."

"Uh-huh. Go on." The doctor said as she jotted down her notes.

"The ironic thing is, I throw up a lot then I get hungry most of the time and with that, I eat a lot. That's why I'm getting a bit fat as well." She continued.

"Okay." She cleared her throat before she spoke, "So Tifa, let me be frank with you, have you ever had any form of unprotected sexual contact lately?"

Her eyes widened with her question and blushed slightly as she nodded slowly. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't.

"And your period is delayed?" The female doctor asked again.

"Now that you mentioned it, I was supposed to get it a few days ago." She uttered upon realization.

"Oh. So that means the results are definite." She said and placed her clipboard back on top of the table, "You see Tifa, while you were unconscious, I conducted a series of tests with regards to your sickness. Some tests turned out to be negative but there's one test that came out positive."

"Oh Doc, you couldn't mean…" She clamped a hand over her mouth, wishing that it her assumptions were wrong.

"Congratulations Tifa, you're nine weeks pregnant."

Tifa dropped her hands on her lap and felt like the air was sucked right out of her upon hearing the cause of her sickness. In fact, she wasn't even sick at all. She was pregnant. Her one night stand with Cloud resulted in to a creation of a new life inside her. She placed a hand over her bosom and felt her heart beat, it was fast. At that moment, Tifa had no idea what to do. Should she be happy that she's expecting or she should be angry because some dumb jerk did this to her? Either way, she didn't know the answer. Her mind suddenly went blank at the moment, she was lost.

Silence shrouded the clinic. The kind doctor gave Tifa allotted some time for her to think deeply since it's also clear to her that her client's very much confused at the moment. Of course, who wouldn't be? You just met some guy at a party, you two end up having sex and now here you are in a clinic just to find out that you're having that guy's child.

"Are you alright, Miss Lockhart?" Lucrecia broke the silence.

"I'm fine doctor, I just… I just need some time to think about it." She inhaled and exhaled slowly but deeply.

"I'm sure you were deep surprised. I can see it in your face." Lucrecia gave a small smile. "Are you happy that you're going to be a mother soon?"

"I feel nervous." She answered honestly.

"Don't worry, every woman feels the same way during their first pregnancy."

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Lucrecia went towards the door and opened it. She had a brief talk with her visitor and she opened the door wider for him to enter. As soon as the doctor gave him the permission to enter, the man walked his way towards Tifa's bed. He sat down next to her and gave her a warm smile. Upon seeing the blonde gazing deeply into her eyes, Tifa was perplexed with what she felt right now. Should she be calm and kindly let him know about the baby or should she slap him hard on the face because of what he caused her? She had the sudden urge on the second option but when she was about to lift her hand, Cloud's hand covered it with his own, as if he knew what was on her mind.

"Tifa." He breathed her name.

The angry feeling in her cooled down and it shifted into grave sadness. Instead of rampaging onto Cloud, Tifa brought her hands to her eyes and broke down into tears. Usually, she hates crying unless if the situation is really dreadful, but this one is different. This pregnancy thing must've been making her more emotional than usual.

"Tifa, why are you crying?" He asked as he saw the tears that rolled down her flushed cheeks.

"Why? Why am I crying? Because I'm pregnant that's why I'm crying Cloud." She sobbed.

Cloud suddenly became speechless with what she said. He tried to pretend he didn't hear what she just uttered a moment ago but sadly, it wasn't working. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it. Tifa was pregnant, she was carrying HIS child. At the age of twenty-three Cloud Strife will be expecting his first born a couple of months from now. He had no reason to deny it since partly it was his fault. He just needs to accept the fact that he's going to have bigger responsibilities starting this very day.

"Tifa, I'm sorry. I—I wasn't expecting this." He stammered. "I'll make it up to you I swear." He stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't embrace me." She pushed him away with force. Cloud almost lost his balance but managed to hold on to the bed's side rails.

"Tifa."

"I don't need your sympathy Cloud." She stated coldly, "Get out."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said, GO AWAY! I don't want to see you ever again." She demanded with furious eyes.

"But Tifa, what about the baby? OUR baby." Cloud emphasized.

"GET OUT!" She yelled without caring that she was in the hospital. Cloud followed her demand and urgently went out of the room. Tifa leaned back against her pillow and wept in silence.

After a few moments, Dr. Crescent went back inside the room to check on her again. After she wiped her tears with a clean tissue, the doctor gave her a chart of do's and don'ts during pregnancy and the vitamins and the different kinds of food that she should intake for the baby's growth and development. After the short lecture, her sister Yuffie suddenly busted inside her room.

"Young lady, you shouldn't act that way. This is a hospital." Lucrecia reprimanded.

"My sister's sick and you expect me to be calm?" Yuffie shouted back.

"Well of course not but you should display such a loud and rowdy behavior." She said with her hands on her waist.

"Shut it woman." She glared and went to Tifa's bedside, "Teefie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine now Yuffie." She replied and placed a hand over her abdomen, "I just… I just found out that I'm having a baby."

"You're what?" Yuffie shouted at the top of her lungs, "But how did this happen?"

"Duh, how to you think it happened." She rolled her eyes on her.

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"I am." A familiar voice interrupted.

Yuffie turned to face the source of the voice and exclaimed with wide eyes, "You?"

"You! What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to get lost?" Tifa yelled.

"Tifa please let's just talk this out." Cloud said as he walked closer to her bed.

"I don't need to talk things with you Cloud, I just want you to get out of my sight." Her tone was furious.

"Tifa…"

"You heard the lady, take a hike dude!" Yuffie stood in front of him and began pushing him towards the door.

"Tifa! Tifa! Hey, what the hell are you doing you little brat?" He restrained himself from her grip.

"Don't you 'little brat' me mister!" She raised her voice at him. "Don't you know who I am? I'm her sister that's who."

"Hey, cut that out you two. If you keep this screaming, I'll be forced to pull both of you out of here." Lucrecia interfered.

"And who do you think you are impregnating my sister you hustler?" Yuffie continued to scold loudly, ignoring the doctor's demand.

"The name's Cloud Strife and I am not a hustler for your information." His voice competed with hers.

"Okay, Mr. Cloud Strife, why the hell did you fuck my sister?" She hissed.

"Yuffie!" Tifa called her out, feeling unpleasant with her choice of words.

"Let me handle this." The teen raised a hand against her, stopping her before she spoke to Cloud again, "Tell me why and I need an answer now."

"We were drunk." He said in a soft voice.

"That's it?"

"Yuffie stop it, there's no use of interrogating him." Tifa demanded.

"I like your sister." He blurted.

"What?"

"I SAID I LIKE YOUR SISTER." He repeated, the blush on his face was evident.

"Oh" She turned towards her sister, "Sis, is he you're boyfriend? Cuz if he is you sure hit the jackpot."

"He's not my boyfriend." Tifa replied hastily.

"He's not? Then, why did you let him have sex with you?"

"It's a long story Yuffie and us getting drunk is just a chunk of it."

"I see." She shrugged her shoulders and turned around to face Cloud again, "Alright, I'll let you off the hook for now cuz I think you guys really need to talk right now."

"Thanks." He rushed to her place and kneeled beside her. "Tifa, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting this to happen at all."

"You should, we didn't use protection remember?"

"Hey, why are you so furious about me all of a sudden? I thought things have calmed down between us."

"They did, until I found out that you got me pregnant." Tifa crossed her arms in anger.

"Tifa, I just… I just want things to work out between us. For our baby." He took her hands into his own, pleading with utmost sincerity.

"Cloud," She paused for a few moments before she spoke again, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"Could you give me some time to think about it?"

He instantly knew what she wanted to imply. She needed time to ponder on things regarding the baby. Will she plan to keep it or will she have other plans? Tifa is the type of person who thinks deeply before making a big decision, a decision that won't make her continue living a life with regret. This is another grave situation indeed especially since it involves the life of an innocent individual growing inside her. She wanted to start thinking now and she wanted to make a decision alone.

As for Cloud, he didn't want to force himself in her situation even though he has the right for that child since it's his in the first place. He knew that it would anger Tifa if he would interfere with her business so he just went along with her favor.

"Alright, I'll give you time. But if you need anything, please, don't hesitate to talk to me." He said and stood up.

She didn't reply. She was confused whether she wanted his help or not. She might not need it now but someday, there will come a time that she would ask for a little hand.

"Bye Tifa." He made one last glance at her before he stepped out of the room.

After Cloud left the scene, Yuffie went to her sister's place with bright grin on her face, "Sis, do you have any idea of what you just did?"

"I had sex with some guy whom I just met and accidentally got pregnant." She uttered, her face filled with guilt and dread.

"No, you scored a really hot guy! That's good."

"Ugh… please." Tifa shook her head.

"So, how did everything began with him?"

Tifa narrated the events that happened on that night starting from the engagement party, to the ride home, the drinking game until they ended up in bed together. Yuffie was a good listener and everytime Tifa had problems or had something to share, she was always the closest next to Aerith.

"Oh, so it was a one night stand. Aww Teef, why'd you do that? I thought you were some conservative virgin who doesn't give a damn about love and relationships." She sighed.

"Because…" There was a short pause before she continued, "I felt a strange feeling that… I could trust him."

"Could it be love at first sight?"

"Love? I don't think so. Actually, I don't even know what it is." She chuckled.

"But you like him." The ninja girl's face leaned closer to hers.

"Maybe, I really don't know." She said with a shrug.

"You like him, sis." Yuffie teased.

"Oh Yuffie, could we stop talking about him?" The older woman demanded much to her irritation with the subject, her face was as red as a tomato.

"Fine but I definitely know that face, it's Tifa in love."

The two sisters shared a small conversation regarding Tifa's interesting connection with Cloud although most of their conversation was mixed with teasing from Yuffie and frustrations from the newly-confirmed pregnant Tifa, their sisterly talked also composed of laughter between them, the thing that both ladies enjoy whenever they stop and have a chat. While Tifa's face continued to blush at his sister's constant teasing, her cellphone made a shrill vibrating sound on the table beside her bed. She grabbed it from the desk and read the caller ID. It was her best friend Aerith. As she pressed the 'receive call' button, she was surprised by Aerith's loud and anxious shrieking over the line.

"_Tifa! Tifa! Are you okay? What happened?"_ She panicked over the phone.

"I'm fine now Aerith. I just… I'm not sick at all." Tifa retorted.

"_Oh that's a relief."_ She heared her sigh over the phone.

"But I just found out that I'm pregnant." She finished what she was about to say.

"_What?"_ Aerith gasped in surprise, _"But Tifa, how is that even possible? You don't have a boyfriend why would you—"_

"It's a long story Aerith but I promise you I'll tell you everything about it right after you return."

"_Alright, who's the man Teef?"_

"Your husband's best friend Cloud." She replied.

"_Cloud? As in Cloud Strife? Really?" _Her tone suddenly raised,_ "Oh I knew you two would hook up. You two look good together._

"Whatever." Tifa hissed at her best friend's remark, "By the way, please don't tell Zack about this. You know him, he could be really loud sometimes."

"_Your secret's safe with me, girl. Just take care of yourself okay?" _She said in concern.

"Sure thing, I'll fill you in with the details after your honeymoon." Tifa sighed and continued, "Speaking of which, when are you coming back?"

"_Two weeks."_

"Okay, have 'fun' Mrs. Fair! Bye!" Tifa teased playfully.

"_Oh you!"_ She laughed hard at her joke and whispered in a mischievous voice, _"Don't worry I will have much fun as you did with Cloud, bye Teef!"_

Later that night, Yuffie was already asleep on the cot across the room. Meanwhile, Tifa was staring blankly outside the night sky, pondering on the fact that she was about to be a mother. The twenty-two year old was in deep thought with the whole pregnancy thing and what's she going to do once she gets out of the hospital. Will she still have a normal life even with the baby or will this cause more burden than it is right now. She hates to think that this innocent life inside her is a liability to her because its not. It's a blessing, a gift that she should take care of and cherish throughout her life.

Tifa positioned a hand over her still-flat tummy and a small smile creased on her lips. A sudden rush of fear and excitement blending in her at the moment. As she caressed her abdomen from side to side, she asked her self one question: Am I ready to be a mother? Of course, she wouldn't know the answer right away since she never imagined herself having a child at this point of her life. But there's one thing Tifa quite sure of, there's a slight possibility that she might not be able to keep it.

**To be continued**

**Author's Note: **Sorry if it's not a good chapter. I got a little lazy in writing this and I'm also busy with school to think about my fanfics. Anyway, I hope you still like the update. Please review and continue to support this story so I would be somehow motivated to pursue on this. Thanks for reading!


	6. Taking Advice

**Chapter Six: Taking Advice**

**Author's Note: **First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the delay. I've been so busy with school work lately and haven't got the time to update this. Plus, I'm sorry for the bad chapter too. Well I haven't really been paying attention to the story anymore and I sort of lost track. This chapter isn't much of a progress with regards to the plot but a slight angst drama going on between our two lovebirds. Oh well, here is chapter six.

Two weeks have passed since Tifa found out about her condition. After the dramatic scene at the hospital, things were starting to get uneasy for the soon-to-be mother. Not only was she stressed out with her work but also with all the time she took to think about her baby.

First of all, was she even ready to become a mother? I mean, there are girls who get pregnant at an even younger age that hers but can the twenty-two year old Tifa handle such responsibility at this point of her life? Tifa might be good at handling kids at school but this situation seem to have a different impact on her. This is her own child were talking about and will she be able to be a mother figure to him or her just like to her students? Well, it was still early to determine the answers to those questions and she still need more time to ponder on such serious matter.

On the other side of things, she was meeting up with her best friend Aerith at a fancy restaurant today after two weeks for separation from each other. For sure the two would totally gush about the honeymoon and maybe about the baby too as well. After taking a cab, Tifa finally arrived at the venue and was welcomed by her newly-married friend.

"Oh Tifa, I miss you." Aerith gave her a warm embrace.

"Hey Aerith, so glad you're back." She returned the embrace with and beamed at her best friend, "You look amazing as usual. How's your honeymoon with Zack?"

"Well you know, things happened." The brunette smirked, "But we'll chat on that later, first, I want to know why and how my best friend got knocked up."

"It's a long story girl, believe me."

"Yes that's why were ordering up." Aerith called the waiter and handed the menu to her friend, "Pick anything you want, my treat."

"Anything? " She questioned.

"Anything. You're pregnant Teef and pregnant women need to eat a lot so that the baby would be healthy. Please, help yourself. What do you want?" She insisted.

Tifa looked on the menu and ordered as much as she wanted without worrying about the bill. Aerith looked at the menu and ordered as well. Right after the waiter took their orders, Tifa immediately narrated everything to her closest friend.

"You and Cloud did it on the night after the engagement party? Oh my gosh, I always knew things would work out between the two of you but I never expected it to happen that fast."

"Like you said, things happen." She rolled her eyes.

"Does he know about the baby?" Her emerald orbs grew wider as she asked her, "What did he say?"

"Yeah, he went to the hospital to check up on me and the doctor told him about it." Tifa answered and sipped on her drink, "Well, I'm sure he was shocked."

"Who wouldn't be right?"

"But, that time I was so stressed and surprised with the pregnancy thing and I yelled at him." She found herself dazing outside the window.

"Oh poor Cloud." Aerith sighed.

"I just couldn't understand myself. Why am I so mean to him? I mean, I've always been like this to other guys but him, it's different." Tifa mused.

"You like him Teef."

"What? No, I don't" She denied, her face started to turn red.

"I can see it in your face, you're blushing." She teased, "Oh I knew it, you like Cloud but you're just denying it."

"I—I'm not." She stuttered.

"Tifa, Tifa, you know what, you should learn how to give guys a chance to court you. The problem with you is you never let guys enter your life as if you hate being around them, that's the main reason why you never had a boyfriend up until this point of your life."

Tifa listened intently to her friend, Aerith is quite good in giving advices and she's the best friend to ever ask for one.

"Let me tell you something about Cloud, Cloud is a great guy. He's kind, smart, and courteous and he really knows how to treat a lady well. I know because I knew him way before you did. You know, you missed a shot at having a great boyfriend."

"Even I did not like Zack at first because I thought he was just playing with my feelings just like he did with other girls but when I saw the sincerity in him, I gave him a chance and I just found myself falling in love with him." Aerith glanced at the wedding band shimmering on her finger, "You see Teef, you shouldn't judge Cloud just because he took advantage of you and got you pregnant. You gotta look through him and see the kindness in the different ways he shows his care for you. He just wants to let you know that he's concerned for you and especially now since you're having his baby. Give him a chance Teef and you'll see the rewards of being with someone you might be with someday."

"I guess you're right, Aerith. I better start apologizing to him then." The other lady answered, "You know, pregnant women easily get irritated due to mood swings."

"That's the best thing to do, Teef." She agreed and smiled.

In the other side of town, Zack and Cloud also had their meeting. Their little appointment was for them to talk about project proposals and designs that Zack needed to catch up upon returning from his vacation. During the planning, Zack noticed that his blonde friend seemed to space out a lot. He kept on bugging him to spill the beans but Cloud remained quiet. He tried to find a way to make Cloud speak up and he was successful, well he always was. The blonde man had no other choice but to narrate everything to his most trusted buddy.

"Alright, let me get this straight, you and Tifa got drunk, had sex right after the engagement party and now she's pregnant with your kid? Oh man, talk about turn of events."

Cloud didn't seemed to listen to Zack at all, instead he dazed outside the window. Thoughts flooded into his mind again. He's been having these deep thoughts lately right after he found out about Tifa's condition.

"Dude, you're a lucky guy you know that? You're going to be a dad, congratulations!" The raven-haired man patted his friend for support.

"I don't know, it seems like Tifa doesn't want me to be with her during the pregnancy." The blonde finally spoke.

"What makes you say that?"

"When we were at the hospital, I went to her bedside and tried to talk to her about the baby but she suddenly started yelling at me to get the hell out and that she never wanted to see me again."

"That's mean." Zack sighed before continued, "But I thought things have settled down between you two."

"I thought so too. Maybe she just hates me too much." His voice grew deeper.

"Of course not, I know Tifa. She's not the type of girl who loves to hate people. That's just how she treats her suitors. That is why she never had a boyfriend even until now." He explained to let Cloud know before he could make his assumptions on the lady, "But judging at how she looked at you at the engagement party, I can really say that she likes you."

"I don't think so."

"Aww Cloud, you're so pessimistic. Look on the brighter side, a beautiful lady you like is having your baby. You should be happy for that fact." Zack said as he felt a sudden rush in his body, "Man, wait 'till Aerith hears this."

"She probably knows it by now, Tifa might have told her. You know how close they are."

"Maybe." He shrugged, "Anyway, whatever happens, I got your back."

"Thanks Zack." Cloud replied and felt a little relieved now that his best friend has full support on him at this point of his life, "At least you're there to support me all the time."

"I'm your best friend, I'm always there for you."

The two gentlemen shared a conversation for an hour or two related their work this time. Zack never thought that he missed a lot during his break and he was glad that Cloud was there to cover everything for him. It was almost six in the evening and they managed to finish everything that needs to be done. After having a quick meal at a ramen shop, the two guys said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes.

As for Aerith and Tifa, they went window shopping right after they finished eating. Just like any ordinary woman, they went shopping for hours, trying out different clothes, shoes and jewelries that caught their eye. It was a long day indeed. The ladies, with both hands full of shopping bags, left the mall an hour before its closing time and dined in another fancy restaurant, of course Aerith's treat again. After another splendid meal, Aerith walked Tifa back to her apartment and took a cab straight home.

Few minutes later, the married woman finally arrived home. When entered her room, she sat down in front of her dresser, staring and talking right at her reflection. A sad frown appeared on her face.

"Should I tell Zack or not?" She mused to herself as she closed her eyes, "About Tifa's baby, and… my condition?"

"Hey honey," Zack suddenly appeared from behind and gave her quick kiss to the cheek.

"Oh Zack! You're here already." She exclaimed and stood up from her position. In her surprise, she placed a hand over her chest and felt her heart beat sped up.

"Sorry, have you met up with Tifa?" He asked with his head tilted.

"Y-Yeah." Aerith replied with a trembling voice, "How 'bout you and Cloud?"

"We met up too, we got some work stuff we need to follow up by Tuesday." He replied and went closer to his wife, "Did she tell you anything?"

"And did Cloud?" Aerith returned his question.

"She's pregnant." The couple said in unison.

"That's it, man, it's surprising." Zack said and scratched his head.

"Sure is, I knew they were a potential couple but I never knew they would go all the way. I mean, they just met."

"Well, fate sure did play his role."

Aerith looked away, making sure that he doesn't notice the sad expression on her face but he did. Zack knew her too much and he knew that kind of look always meant something bad. Seeing the anxiety on her wife's face he asked, "Is there something wrong? You seem kinda bothered."

"No it's nothing Zack, really. Tifa and I talked a lot and we went window shopping as well so maybe I'm just really tired from the long day." She lied but she was unaware that she was that obvious.

"Aerith." He paused before the went on, "If you're still going to be dishonest with me like you were back then as my girlfriend, maybe we made a bad decision about getting married."

After a short pause, she finally spoke up with hesitation, "Promise you won't get mad?"

"I promise. Just tell me what's up and I'll try to help you out." His tone was calm and eager to listen to her concern.

"Okay, listen." She took a deep breath and began, "Few weeks before our wedding, Tifa and I went to the doctor and I found out something."

"Go on."

"You see, I have this condition where in I'll have a hard time conceiving so it may take a while for us to have our own baby." "There might even be a chance that we won't have one at all."

"Oh gosh, Aerith. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I—I was scared Zack." She replied and was at the verge of tears,"I didn't know how you would react and I was afraid that you won't marry me."

"Oh no, you know I can't to that dear—" He tried to envelope her into his arms but she took a step back.

"That's what they all say and the next thing you know they've been sleeping with—"

"Aerith, shut up." Zack took her hand and lead her into his arms into a warm embrace, "Listen, the main reason why I married you is simply because I love you and I accept you for who you are. You mean everything to me dear, even if it'll take quite some time for us to be parents, you're still the same Aerith I knew and I loved for such a long time."

"Oh Zack." She returned his affection and muttered, tears started flowing down her radiant face, "I love you too."

"Alright, stop crying now." He pulled back a little and stared deeply into her eyes, "I'm always here for you."

"Promise you won't leave me?" A small smile appeared on her face.

"I promise." He sealed the conversation with a kiss, a sweet and passionate kiss that meant a thousand words of affection.

Author's Note: Sorry for the typos, I really don't have the time to review this. Anyway, how was it? I sort of added the twist in Zack and Aerith's part, they're actually going to play a big role in Cloud and Tifa's route to responsible parenthood. How will they portray they're part? You guys will have to wait until the next chapter, although I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to upload it. For the mean time, why don't you drop me a review and tell me what you think?


	7. Making Amends

**Chapter 7**

**Making Amends**

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! I'm back! Sorry for the really, really late upload. I was so busy with school that I wasn't able to find some time to type this. Despite that, thank you for the non-stop support for me and for this story as well. Thank you! Those reviews mean a lot to me and they were my motivation to continue this and finally upload it. Thanks a lot guys and enjoy the seventh chapter! Oh, and don't forget to review!

It's another day at work for Cloud as he busily arranged his blueprints for upcoming projects for some clients. In the middle of his work, his phone suddenly rang and the commotion distracted him from his task. He picked up the device and read the caller ID but it only displayed a number and no name at all. It was an unknown caller. He assumed it could be a new client proposing a new project or maybe even a prank caller. He had no choice but to answer the phone call.

"Hello?" He began with a serious tone.

"Hello, good morning. Is this Cloud?" A feminine voice asked.

"Yeah, who's this?" Cloud asked and to his surprise, he somehow recognized the voice even by just hearing it for a few seconds, "Tifa?"

"Yes, it's me." Tifa replied and bit her lip in embarassment, "Sorry, did I call at a bad time?"

"Not at all." It was the person he least expected. Cloud could feel his heart beating faster than usual, the caller was Tifa, the woman who made such feeling possible in the past few months. He still couldn't believe she called and was lost for words, he couldn't ask anything but, "Why'd you call?"

"Oh… I—I was just umm…" She stuttered, she also felt the same was as him right now. Tifa didn't know where she got the guts to talk to him in the first place.

"Hmm?"

"Well, I was hoping if we could meet up after work today… and uhh…" Her words seemed to trail off, she was too nervous to speak up her point.

"And?"

"Maybe, we could finally talk about the baby." The brunette finally said it and she was relieved.

"Really?" Cloud felt his heart flutter in joy. This is the moment he's been waiting for such a long time.

"Really." Tifa, as if knowing how he felt, smiled over the line.

"Alright, looking forward to it." He said, excitement very evident in his voice, "Want me to pick you up at school?"

"Oh no, I shouldn't be—" Shook her head in reply, embarrassed at his decision.

"Oh yes Teef, I insist. Please, it's no big deal."

Tifa had no choice, since he was being a gentleman, she had no other option but to accept his kind offer, "Okay Cloud, I'll see you later then. Bye."

"Alright, see you." He grinned after he flipped his phone close.

After clicking the end call button, Tifa sighed and contemplated on her thoughts for a while. Was she able to do the right thing? She conquered her pride and finally had the strength to talk to Cloud, which for her is not a very easy thing to do. Still, the twenty two year old mother-to-be was glad that she was able to manage things without letting anger get in the way.

Meanwhile, Cloud's situation was a different story. He prayed that this day would finally come and now it did. He hoped that someday Tifa would come in to her senses and would start trusting her on such serious matter. This is a rare opportunity, he thought to himself and he won't allow it to just slip away. At that moment, Cloud Strife swore to himself that he would do his best to earn Tifa's trust and maybe even her affection.

Few minutes have passed since the short phone call and Cloud was is not able to get over at what just happened. While carefully checking on some blueprints, he couldn't help but smile to himself and admit that he was excited to meet her later. Because of such feeling, the blonde bachelor was oblivious to the fact that his best friend Zack was eyeing him for quite some time now.

"Someone's inspired." The raven hair man spoke, distracting Cloud from his little fantasy.

"Dude, would you stop sneaking up on me like that?" Cloud raised his voice but Zack only chuckled upon seeing a slight redness on his cheeks.

"I just can't help looking at you with that look on your face," He said and couldn't stop laughing, "So, are you going to say something?"

"About what?"

"About what's making you smile like that? That's so not you Cloud."

"It's none of you business, Zack." The blonde sat down on his chair and tried to go back to his duties.

"Oh yes it is, I'm your best friend, I know you can't hide things from me now tell me." Zack forcefully spun his seat so he would face him and speak up.

"Fine," He sighed and began with his story, "Tifa just called me a while ago."

"Really? What did she say?" Zack's eyes grew in surprise, he never thought that such thing would really happen but still, he felt glad that it did.

"She said she wanted to talk to me things regarding the baby and I'm going to pick her up at her workplace right after I'm done with these." His sea blue orbs gazed on the tons of blueprints stacked on his table.

"That's awesome Cloud! Finally! This is what you've been waiting for right? Don't screw things up." He advised.

"Of course."

"But if Tifa turns you down again, I assure you, I'll introduce you to some other girls out there."

"Sorry Zack but I won't go for other girls just because of the fact that she's carrying my child. I should take responsibility for what I did to her and that what I'm going to talk to her about later." Cloud spun his seat and faced his desk again.

"That's that spirit! Remember you have my full support, pal!" He gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks Zack."

It was already four in the afternoon. Right after Tifa gathered her stuff from her desk, she said good bye to her co-workers including her close friend Aerith who gave her a playful wink just before she was out of the office and outside the establishment.

The brunette silently made her way towards the exit and immediately spotted a blonde man wearing a dark suit standing patiently near the gate. The man looked at her direction and smiled, earning a faint blush across her ivory cheeks. The smile was gentle but captivating and it almost made her trip.

Suddenly, Tifa felt her heart rushed. Maybe because she was nervous and also anxious of how long he was standing there.

"Cloud, you're here already." Tifa gasped in surprise, "How long have you been waiting?"

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head and handed her a bouquet of flowers which he was hiding from his back, "And these are for you."

"…Thank you." The blush became more evident as she took the bouquet.

"So, where to?" He felt speechless again, just seeing her face made him lost for words.

"I don't know, you decide."

"You want to go to my house?" He blurted. Cloud was surprised at his choice of words, I guess this what love does to people.

"You—You're house?" She retorted, clarifying if she heard him right.

"Yes, my house." He repeated and followed up his answer upon seeing her slightly concerned face, "Oh don't worry, I don't have alcohol in my ref. I haven't had any since… you know."

"Oh okay." Her heart rate started returning back to normal.

"So, ready to go?" Cloud, in his usual gentleman self, offered his arm to her.

"Ready." She nodded and locked her hand on his forearm.

After a short car ride, the two finally arrived at Cloud's bachelor pad which was located secluded area of the city in which only wealthy people like him can afford. The gentleman kindly opened the door for his guest and took her hand. Cloud found it weird for him to be such a gentleman at times like this.  
His entire friends are clearly aware that he's a very shy guy when it comes to women and he waits until the woman makes a move before he could but with Tifa, it was completely different. It was as if he was a different Cloud, a Cloud who knows his way with women.

They walked a short distance before they arrived at the doorstep. After Cloud unlocked the door to his house, he opened the door and allowed Tifa to come in first. Tifa stepped inside the house and couldn't believe what she saw inside.

"Wow, is this your house Cloud?" Tifa marveled at the lavishness of his home, from the hanging chandeliers to the shiny floors. "It's so beautiful."

"I designed it myself." He bragged as he closed the door behind him. "Want me to give you a tour?"

"Really? Yes, please." How could she say no? She was dying to explore each corner of such an extravagant manor and she was curious of what fun stuff she would see around.

The young bachelor was living in such a luxurious home. He owned a wide variety of expensive things from a high-end laptop, to a billiard table and even a swimming pool.

Tifa was amazed on how someone like him could spend a lot on such material stuff. I mean, why can't Cloud Strife get all these? He owns a company, he's made a lot of business with other rich people and most of all, Cloud Strife is single. He's not fending for anybody but himself. All he had to worry about were the bills and some taxes, which to him only take a small amount from his wealth, giving him more cash to spend on things which only people like him could afford.

The tour ended up at the living room and the couple sat down on his sofa. As Tifa sat down, she asked Cloud on how many women already sat this sofa or better yet, how many women have laid here, fully clothed or totally nude. Cloud jumped at her question but honestly told him that there were quite a few women who sat there already but they were only limited to close friends like Aerith. He also denied that he was not making out or doing crazy stuff with other women in this sofa. The brunette laughed at his replied but she believed him because it was clear that he was telling the truth.

Tifa had a bundle of questions she needed to ask him with regards to his house and Cloud was willing to answer each of them. Their conversation allowed the two to get to know each other even more, enabling them to forge a bond that Cloud and maybe even Tifa hopes that won't be easily broken.

"Hey, isn't this house to big for a bachelor like you?" She asked, her eyes stared up the brightly lit room.

"Yeah, that's why I need someone to share it with me." Cloud joked as a smirk appeared on his face.

"Err…" She cleared her throat upon hearing his answer, her heart began beating fast again.

"I was joking." Cloud giggled and realized that his previous reply was somehow awkward, "Nah, it really doesn't bother me."

"Whoever you want to share it with, she sure is a very lucky lady." She spoke up as she touched the perfect cream toned walls.

"Well, I…" He blushed hard, thinking to himself that Tifa should be that lucky lady. Before he gets too carried away, he cleared his thoughts about the subject and moved to another one, "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah, in fact I'm getting really hungry." She placed a hand over her abdominal area, "Gosh, this pregnancy is making me hungrier than usual."

"Well, that's normal you know." Cloud led her into the dining hall and smiled as he pulled a chair for her to sit on. Tifa smiled back and the glitter in her eyes makes him want to melt like butter. "Wait here while I fetch us something to eat."

Tifa sat patiently on the chair and waited for him to serve some food. After a few minutes, Cloud came back with a platter of fruits. He knew that eating fruits was good for a nurturing mother like her so he gave her a plentiful serving. Tifa was impressed by his idea of good nutrition, it only shows that he's greatly concerned of her health and as well as the baby's too.

"Hey Tifa," Cloud began, breaking the silence between them, his voice somehow caught her attention, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No, not anymore Cloud." She replied softly as a small smile curved in her lips.

"But Tifa, I got you into a situation which neither of us expected that would happen soon." He added.

"Yeah, but that doesn't give me a reason why I should continue to give you the cold shoulder."

"Does that mean you forgive me?"

"Somehow, yes." She replied with a nod and placed a hand over her abdomen, "Plus, there's nothing we could do about it. It's already here."

Cloud sighed and smiled in relieve, "That's good."

"Cloud, I've been thinking," Tifa's eyes averted upwards as she began another topic, "I think I should start working things out with you regarding the baby. We should figure things out on how to deal with the whole pregnancy thing, together."

"Together?" He repeated, clarifying if what he heard was right. Thoughts suddenly rushed inside his head upon hearing the word.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way," She retorted, waving both hands to tell him that it's not what she exactly meant, "What I mean is, we should start all over again."

"Oh, I see," The blonde man scratched his head, trying to look a little silly, "My thoughts got a little too carried away."

"So, what do you say?"

"Alright," He gave a nod of approval, "But, since we're both in this together, I want to compromise things too and I ask for your total cooperation."

"Okay,"

Cloud stretched his arm and took the lady's hand in his, "Tifa, I want you to move in with me."

"What? But Cloud…" The blush on the future mother's face was evident upon hearing what Cloud just said to her. In fact, she couldn't believe it at all. He suddenly asked her to move in with him, isn't that like similar of a marriage proposal? She wanted to deny him immediately but there was a part of her that wanted to accept.

"Look, I know it's sudden but this is the only way I could think to keep an eye on you and the baby." His other hand soon followed, covering hers fully.

"Cloud, I…" She was speechless, she could feel his grip tightened on her hand.

"I don't want you to live in that small apartment of yours. I want you and the baby to live a comfortable life without worrying about expenses. Everything's on me."

"I don't know." Tifa suddenly became confused, at that moment she was totally unsure about her decision.

"Tifa, this is my only way to repay you, for being so kind to allow me to be there with you, even if I think that I don't deserve to be."

"Cloud, could you give me some time, again?" She blurted, clearly lost for words once again.

"Oh sure." Cloud shrugged as he gave a simple answer.

"I'm sorry for making you wait again Cloud, something tells me that I need to think deeply about this matter. Plus, I also need to talk to my sister regarding this."

"It's not a problem Tifa, this is a serious matter anyway. Please do take your time."

"Thanks Cloud."

**To be continued**

**Author's Note: **So how was it? Sorry if it was poorly written. I ran out of words because of the hiatus I put on to this story. In fact, I even lost track of the story itself. Damn! I'm a sucky author. Anyway, please don't forget to review! Those reviews would really motivate me to continue. And for chapter eight, it might take a little while. First is because I would be really busy with school probably starting June and because of the last few parts of the story, I have to rewrite the other chapters. Actually this story already reached chapter sixteen, which is most likely the second to the last or maybe the final chapter. So, please, please be a little more patient and drop me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks! :)


	8. The First Glimpse

**Let me love you**

The first glimpse

**Author's Note: Hey everyone I'm back! Sorry if it took a year for me to update, my pc crashed and I actually lost the entire story (cuz it's actually finished!). Now I sort of got back on track but I'm guessing the plot will be more different than the original plot, hopefully it would be better. Anyway, if you could notice, I rewrote this chapter because initially it was crappy. I hope I did a better job than before. Please do review! Thanks for the patience.**

* * *

It was a Tuesday evening. Tifa was preparing dinner in the kitchen. While she was busy preparing the ingredients for their dinner, her eyes managed to glance at the calendar by the refrigerator. Ever since she found out about her pregnancy, she began counting the days on how far along she was. She started from the day she and Cloud had an 'accident' until the day the doctor told her that she was expecting. Tifa was always good with numbers so she she was sure that she was nearing the last month of her first trimester.

"Time flies so fast, you're almost in your third month, baby." She muttered as she placed a palm on her small bump, "I guess this is the perfect time for a check up?"

The silence was cut off when a familiar voice called out her name, "Teef?"

"Yuffie, you startled me." The older lady felt her heart beat hasten in surprise.

"Oh sorry. Who are you talking to?" The teen stepped inside the kitchen and went to her place.

"To him." She averted her eyes back to her belly.

"Him? Oh him. Wait, it's going to be a boy?"

"I don't know, but I just have a feeling that he is." She smiled as she gave her stomach a gentle stroke.

"Aren't you supposed to go to the doctor to find out?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about that." Tifa turned around and looked at her sister, "Hmm… you free this Saturday?"

"Saturday?" She looked at the ceiling in thought and shook her head, "No way, I have to go to the movies with my friends. Sorry sis."

"Aww, who's going to accompany me to the doctor? Aerith's busy, You're busy as well…" She frowned in disappointment.

"How 'bout Cloud?"

Now there's an idea, but will she buy it? "Cloud? Well, I never thought about him. Do you think he'll go with me?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course he'll go with you! It's so clear that the guy is just waiting for you to ask him a favor." Yuffie replied convincingly.

"What if he's busy?" Tifa still hesitated, she knows that Cloud is a very man and asking him a favor like this would just be a bother to his work.

"Have you even tried asking him if he is?" The teen suggested.

She had a good point and Tifa felt like she had no choice but to agree to her remark, "Alright."

Tifa picked up her cellphone and dialed Cloud's number. She placed the device against her ear and waited for an answer. It didn't really take a while before a voice picked up.

"Hello?" A deep male voice answered.

"Hey Cloud, it's me Tifa." She spoke bashfully.

Cloud was in the living room typing a progress report on his laptop while sipping on a cold iced tea. He nearly jumped from his seat as he heard Tifa's voice over the line. "Oh hey Tifa, how are you?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Great as ever. So, what's up?" The blonde couldn't hide the wide grin on his face. Not to mention, his heart skipped a beat with her voice that's like music to his ears.

"Well Cloud… you see I—" Tifa started to pick up the right words but everything seems to be jumbled up inside her mind.

"Hmm?" Mixed emotions of nervousness and excitement dominated him at the moment. He could feel his sweat breaking out despite his air-conditioned room.

"Cloud, uhm… well, I'm planning on going to the doctor this Saturday to have my check-up and I…" She took a deep breath and continued, "I was wondering if you would like to come with me."

"Come with you on the baby's first check up? Sure. I mean, it's an honor. A great privilege." Cloud probably made the widest grin in his life. Hearing what she had to say made his heart flutter. "So, I'll pick you up at what time?"

"Around nine in the morning."

"Saturday, nine in the morning. Alright then. See you, Tifa." He didn't want the phone call to end.

"Thanks Cloud, see you too!" Tifa hanged up and smiled. A tint of red appeared on her cheeks.

Later that night, Cloud couldn't sleep. He was too excited of what was about to happened a few days from now. He finally gets to have some time with Tifa and add to that, he gets to have a glimpse of their baby. Just the thought of seeing his child made him the happiest man alive. After a few minutes of musing, Cloud finally dozed off with a smile on his face.

The days flew by so fast and the day of the scheduled check up finally came. Upon realizing it was finally Saturday, Cloud immediately got out of bed and merrily skipped his way to the kitchen, preparing his favorite breakfast of waffles with blueberry syrup and a cup of coffee. While he ate his meal, he couldn't help but daydream the possibility of sharing a breakfast with Tifa and his future child. He imagined her seating beside him, enjoying a cup of coffee and giving him one of her best smiles that would surely brighten up his day. He had this feeling that the lonely mornings would soon be over, once she would agree to live under the same roof with him, along with their child.

After finishing his breakfast and taking a warm shower, Cloud scanned his closet for something extra decent to wear. He's got a closet full of branded clothing and anything he would wear would definitely give off the impression that he has the money to buy such expensive clothes. That's what the thought at first, that having all these would actually make him happy but with the situation he is in right now made him realize that there is more to life that just spending cold hard cash on unnecessary things.

Few minutes have passed and Cloud emerged from his bedroom wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, khaki pants and brown leather shoes, something he thought was simple for this special day. After he made sure that his house is secure, he finally drove his car on the way to Tifa's apartment.

When Cloud arrived at the place, he stopped at the stairs and cursed himself for not bringing something as a gift. When he realized that he didn't have much time to buy a gift, he just brushed of the idea and went straight to her door. Cloud breathed deeply before he placed a fist over the door and knocked on it gently. After a few moments, Yuffie appeared and opened the door for the gentleman.

"Good morning" He greeted politely.

"Hey it's you the blond dude who got my sister pregnant!" The teen exclaimed as she pointed a finger at Cloud.

Cloud ignored the girl's remark and moved to the main reason for his visit, "Uh-huh, uh, is Tifa here?"

"Yeah she's still in the bathroom, I'll call her. You could wait in the couch if you want."

"Thanks." He nodded and made his way inside the apartment. As he entered the place, the memories of that fateful night with Tifa reentered his mind. He sat down on the couch where he and Tifa shared their first kiss together, the first kiss that lead to the memorable moment that somehow made a mark in their lives.

"Teef, your boyfriend is here!" Yuffie called her sister who was inside the bathroom. The blonde man felt uncomfortable, and somehow flattered, with what she referred to him.

"What? Cloud's here?" Tifa's voice echoed inside the bathroom. The sound of the shower knob creaking could be heard and the drizzle stops.

"Yup! Hurry up, you're almost an hour in there!"

"Oh wait, hold on!" The shower resumed and lasted for a while.

Cloud kept on glancing at this wrist watch and it was almost nine in the morning. He never really understood why women take so much time taking a bath. How many times do they have to apply soap or put shampoo just for them to smell good? If Tifa were to move in with him, it's no surprise if she'll take an hour inside the bathroom since he has a bathtub.

It took another twenty minutes before Tifa finally emerged from the bathroom with only a towel on and another one twirled around her wet hair. Cloud stared at her long silky legs and saw how sexy she was even with only such piece of material on.

"Quit staring will you?" She demanded, holding the towel securely against her chest.

"As if he hasn't seen you without that towel on." Yuffie teased.

Tifa rolled her eyes and sighed as she entered her bedroom.

"Sorry my sister's been taking too long." The younger girl said as she turned towards the guest.

"It's fine. I can wait." He leaned against the couch.

"You must be really excited huh?" She asked.

"Every expecting father must be."

"I mean you're excited to take my sister out on a date?" She added.

"Well I'm not dating her…yet. Well, unless she allows me." He answered.

"Tifa is not really into dating, she went out with a few guys before but afterwards she doesn't seem too happy about it. This is the first time I saw her so excited."

"Really?" Cloud raised his eyebrow at her remark. He couldn't imagine Tifa to be excited about going out with him. Maybe she's just excited about seeing the baby for the first time and he's just there to escort her.

Yuffie nods, "I could tell my sister likes you. She's just too shy to admit it. That's how she is. You know what you need to do, you just have to let it out from her."

"I guess." He shrugged, quite unsure of what he just heard. Cloud knows he's not good with words and he knows that he might screw up again. But this time it's different. This is Tifa were talking about, the first woman who ever made his heart skip a beat.

Before the teen girl left the guest, she turned around to say something, "Oh and I'm sorry about the way I treated you at the hospital. I was very disrespectful."

"Apology accepted." Cloud beamed.

"I guess I was just surprised by the news, but now I'm happy that my sister is having a baby. I'm just as excited as the both of you." She continued.

"Everyone is excited."

Tifa suddenly walked into their conversation, fully dressed in her black and white knee length dress and red doll shoes. Cloud eyed her from head to foot, obviously stunned at the beautiful lady standing in front of him, the lady of his dreams and the mother of his child. Her abdomen still doesn't show that much but he noticed the her back is starting to form a little which he found it quite sexy.

"Did I take too long?" She asked, a worried expression appeared on her face.

"Not really." He replied absentmindedly, "You look stunning"

"I'm starting to get fat." Tifa frowned as she assessed herself in front of the mirror.

"You're getting fat for a good purpose." Cloud walked towards her and reached out a palm to touch her belly.

She couldn't help but smile at his action. For some reason she didn't find the action awkward. They stayed like this for a while before Tifa interrupted, "Ready to go, baby?"

"Let's go." Cloud took her hand and laced his fingers with hers, the action made them both blush.

Yuffie guided the couple towards the door, "You two have fun now. Say 'hi' to the baby for me!"

When they arrived the hospital, Cloud was still a gentleman as they walked hand in hand in the corridors. It earned them a few glances from the people, they must've saw how young the couple was and maybe how cute they are together.

They finally arrived at Dr. Crescent's clinic and there were a few patients waiting for their turn. The pair sat down and waited for their appointment as well. Cloud couldn't help but glance at Tifa from time to time. He saw how beautiful she still was even if she gained a little fat. He saw it as no trouble at all.

"Miss Tifa Lockhart" The doctor's secretary called.

"Well that's our cue." Cloud stood up from his seat and offered a hand to Tifa.

Tifa remained quiet for a while as she tighted her grip on Cloud's hand, not to mention her palms were quite sweaty too.

"Are you nervous?"

"I guess I am. Sorry." She couldn't help but admit. She thought to herself this as a normal feeling for first time mothers such as herself.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He smiled at her reassuringly, and that reassurance gave her a feeling of relief and security. She smiled to herself, happy with the fact that a man like Cloud would be here with her on her first check up. Not all women have this kind of privilege like she has right now, and she just felt so lucky.

As the two entered the doctor's clinic, they were welcomed by a warm smile from the physician.

"Good morning Tifa." Lucrecia greeted at the couple, "And Mr. Tifa's Boyfriend."

"It's Cloud, and I'm not her boyfriend." He had that disappointed tone with his answer.

"Oh I see. Well are you two excited to see your baby for the first time?" The doctor asked, changing the topic.

"Yes we are doctor." The young lady replied, a smile couldn't help but appear on her beautiful lips.

"Alright, let's get started then." Lucrecia nodded and handed her a clean hospital gown. "You need to wear this and afterwards you come back her, okay?"

Tifa nodded and complied with the doctor's request. After changing onto her hospital gown, she was guided by Cloud back to the examination table where she lied down. The doctor applied some cold jelly onto her abdomen and finally placed a probe to scan for her baby.

After a brief moment of stroking the probe back and forth over her stomach, Lucrecia finally stated "There's your baby."

Tifa gasped as she saw the baby's small head on the monitor right in front of her, tears started to well up in her eyes, "Hello there baby.."

Cloud couldn't hide his smile as well, he finally got a glimpse of his first child as his eyes traced the baby's head down to its extremities, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's still early to determine. Maybe after a few months we can determine the gender." The doctor replied.

Cloud held Tifa's hand tightly and they stared at each other for a while. They were so overwhelmed with the fact they're going to have this baby and they both hope that this baby would be the one who would bind them together despite their differences in life. Cloud wished that Tifa would be more open to him as she was now, and slowly this would help them settle into a stable relationship with each other.

The couple thanked the doctor for this chance to get a glimpse of their baby. Before they left, Lucrecia was kind enough to hand them photos of the ultrasound awhile ago, much to their content. Cloud and Tifa walked out of the clinic without keeping their eyes off of the photo.

"So, where to now Tifa?" Cloud interrupted her as she examined the photo once more. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes I am. Well, you decide Cloud." She replied as she placed the photo inside her bag.

"Want to eat there?" He pointed at a fancy restaurant right across the street.

"Oh Cloud, that's too—"

"Don't worry, It's my treat. Let's go." He took her hand in his as they crossed the street.

Tifa nearly forgot the fact that he was wealthy enough to dine anywhere he like without worrying about the expenses. She envied him and his lavish lifestyle, wishing that someday she could live a life like he does.

As they entered the restaurant, Cloud was warmly greeted by the employees and was entertained by the manager. They chatted for a while and afterwards a waiter guided them to their seat. The waiter handed them the menu and as soon as Tifa opened it, she was surprised at how expensive the food was. She never dined at a restaurant this costly. She remembered she would always eat in those fast food chains near her workplace, even though she knew that eating in that kind of place wasn't healthy she had no choice since it's the only thing she could afford. If she would have a chance to eat in fancy restaurant, it would be on her pay day or if Aerith treats her to such, which happens only rarely.

Her eyes scanned the menu back and forth but the prices really bothered her, "Are you sure you want to eat here Cloud? I mean everything in the menu is so—"

"Expensive? I got it covered." He remarked without looking at her, "Order anything you like."

Tifa scoffed at his arrogant reply but she felt that she couldn't do anything about it since he was paying for everything and she was undeniably hungry, "So I'll have your finest beef steak, corn soup and vegetable dish please."

"Is that all, maam? Would you like anything for dessert?" The waiter suggested.

Tifa looked again at the menu again and saw one of her favorite desserts, "I think this blueberry cheesecake would be nice."

"Alright." The waiter jotted on his notebook. "What about you sir?"

"The usual. You know what I want." He closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.

"Your meal will be served in fifteen to twenty minutes." The waiter said and left.

"Cloud, you don't have to do this."

"No Tifa, let me. It's my way of saying thanks for letting me come to the check up, even if you still think I don't deserve it."

"Of course you do, you're the father. You have every right."

"Yeah but sometimes I couldn't help but think…" He tried to compose the right words in his mind. "What's in it for the both of us?"

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrow arched in confusion.

"I mean, what am I to you?"

"Oh Cloud…" Her wine eyes softened at his query, "To me, you're just as special to me as you are to our child."

"Do you even like me?"

"Of course I do Cloud, I like you being concerned for me and all, but I…" She trailed off, unsure if she should even let him hear the truth. "Cloud, I'm still unsure of what I truly feel about you."

"It's okay. I know you don't feel that way, yet." He frowned, staring blankly into the table. "But I hope you're aware of what I feel for you Tifa."

"Yes I am aware of that and I am very flattered, thank you." She smiled at him, "I hope you would just give me some more time to ponder about mine. If I finally know the answer, I'll let you know right away."

"I hope you won't make me wait too long." He took her hand across the table and held it.

"I'll try my best." Tifa said reassuringly, but she was still uncertain herself.

After having their lunch, Cloud insisted they should hang out more and Tifa eventually agreed. A stroll in the park was nice as the two walked around like a real couple, hand in hand and earning glances from the passersby. Cloud didn't mind the people staring at them as long he was with this beautiful woman who was having his baby, he won't give a damn what they think. His feelings for her were clear and he believed that those feelings have developed into something even deeper.

Their conversation earlier made Cloud realize that despite all the wealth that he has right now, his money can never buy him love. No matter how much he would spoil Tifa on their future dates, this would never be enough just to make her reciprocate his feelings. He never really needed his money to earn her love, instead he just needed to be himself. To be the Cloud that Tifa would eventually love, and to be the Cloud that would always be there for her and their future child.

After a while, the two finally rested on a bench under a tree, without Cloud letting go of her hand. Tifa noticed he was spacing out so she opened up a conversation.

"Hey Cloud, are you okay?" Her eyes are filled with concern for him, "You seem to be in deep thought."

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier," He replied calmly. "And that taking you to expensive dates wouldn't make you change about what you feel about me."

"I'm sorry if I said it that way…" She spoke apologetically.

"No, it made me realize that money can never buy you happiness. What I have right now won't really matter as long as I am with the person I love."

"Cloud…" His confession made her heart race and she could feel the sincerity in his voice.

"Sorry if I'm making rushing you into something you aren't ready for. You truly deserve the best Tifa."

"You are the best Cloud. In fact, I feel really lucky that I met someone like you who is willing to look out for me and my baby." She guided their intertwined hands over her abdomen.

"And we're lucky to have you as well," He pecked her on the cheek, before turning his attention on the unborn life insider her.

Cloud smiled and stroked her stomach gently, he muttered slowly "Hey little one. We just saw you earlier and it really made my day. Your mom and I just want you to know that we love you so much and we can't wait to see you. Be a good kid and don't give your mom a hard time, okay?"

Tifa was surprised, flattered and touched by his action. She thought, this man was going to be a great father to her child and how lucky she was to have him in her life. This man was willing to stand up for his actions and face the challenge of being a responsible parent with her. It made her think twice about what she said about being unsure about her feelings for him but now, all she wanted was to stay like with him.

**To be continued**

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading and don't forget to review to let me know what you guys think. Sorry for the bad grammar and choice of words. I lost it while I was on hiatus.**


	9. The Bad Dream

**Let me love you**

The Bad Dream

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I just managed to update this story since I'm finally free from school. So here's the continuation.

Tifa heard the faint sound of the ambulance reverberating in ears. Her vision was hazy and all she saw was the bright light right above her and nothing else. She was placed on top of a stretcher while being dragged into room where she met people wearing green scrub suits with matching cap and mask. She narrowed her eyes to see who they were but she failed to identify them. The team moved so fast before she even had a chance to see what they are doing. She saw them holding shiny silver tools and witnessed them cutting through her abdomen.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Tifa raised her head and screeched but a hand held her head in place.

"Easy now, we're just trying to help you." A doctor placed a mask over her nose which released an intoxicating gas.

After a few moments of the induction of the gas, Tifa was unable to help herself as the effect of the gas started to take over her body, she felt her extremities numb to every move she wanted to make. She tried her best to fight off the effect but it didn't work instead cause her to fall into a deep slumber.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a dark empty hospital room wearing only a heavily blood stained hospital gown. Her mind was still hazy maybe because of the effect of the gas she inhaled when suddenly a woman wearing a white uniform approached her in bed.

"You're finally awake, miss…" She began as she checked on her nametag on her wrist. "Tifa Lockhart."

"Where am I?" Tifa said slowly, trying to sit up on her bed.

"You're in the hospital." The woman answered.

"Hospital? What am I doing here? I am not due until the end of this year."

The woman looked down on the floor before uttering her terrible fate, "I regret to inform you but you had a miscarriage."

"A miscarriage? What? What happened to my baby?" Tifa gasped in disbelief, she couldn't have lost her baby. She just saw it earlier and she even has a photo to prove it.

"Your baby is gone Tifa, you slipped inside the bathroom and suffered a massive bleeding. When you were brought here, we were even unsure if you were going make it. I'm sorry." She continued in a depressing tone.

"My baby…" She placed a cold hand on her abdomen and that empty feeling droned upon her, facing the reality that there was no more sign of life inside her, "My baby is gone, and I never even got a chance to hold him…"

The woman left the devastated Tifa on her bed, crying her lungs out with the loss of her unborn child. She never felt such misery ever since she lost her mother and she felt like a part of her was completely torn out. She felt that she was stripped off an opportunity for an innocent human being its right to be born, grow and explore the vast world.

Tifa sobbed on her gown and made it even dirtier that it is now. She needed someone to ease her pain, the dread of losing her very first baby. She could think of a few people, like Aerith her best friend and Zack, her sister Yuffie but instead they weren't around her at this very depressing stage of her life. At that moment, Tifa felt so alone and nobody had gone to even visit her to give her emotional support. Suddenly the door creaked open and revealed a certain blonde man whom she identified as the father of her unborn child.

"Cloud?" She called out to him weakly, the man slowly approached her bed with a serious expression on his face. It was unlike the usual seriousness she saw in him, instead it had a different hue, something she had never seen before "Cloud! Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that you're here."

"Don't touch me." Cloud said coldy, shoving her had as it hit the bedside railing.

Tifa couldn't believe what she just saw, was this the sweet and generous Cloud she knew? She knew for a fact that certainly his new aura is making her even more confused that she is now, "Cloud?"

"I trusted you, I gave you everything and now you failed to keep our baby alive?" He practically screamed into her ears, "What kind of a person are you."

She felt her tears started to well up again, "Cloud it was an accident. I had no idea how it happened and I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Your clumsiness killed an innocent individual. An apology is never going to bring him back." He replied hastily.

"Cloud, please you've got to help me. I don't know what to do. You're the only person I can count on right now." She gripped on his hand but he pulled away from her touch.

"No, we already lost our baby, the only connection I have with you. Why should I even consider helping you?"

She uttered in disbelief, "But I thought you said we had something special."

"Did I? Quit being delusional." He rolled his eyes, how could she claim such feeling when she carelessly lost a life that was so important to him.

"Cloud, I'm telling the truth why won't you—"

"For all I know you're just a poor, filthy bitch who purposefully wanted a piece of my DNA so you could have your hands on my cold hard cash." He continued his harsh lecture, "Guess what, you're not getting a single cent out of my pocket."

"Cloud…" Tifa covered her mouth with her hand, this was not the Cloud imagined to be in her future, instead she witnessed a deeper, darker side of him. A side she never wanted to witness at all.

"Now you rot in hell." He slipped out his gun from his back side and pulled the trigger, positioning it directly at her temple "Goodbye you selfish piece of shit."

"No! Cloud stop!" She screamed at the top of her voice but the gun was fired directly on her head.

Tifa woke up to a bad dream as she found herself breathing harshly, her body drenched in sweat and her heart pounding inside her chest. She automatically placed her hand over her abdomen, still feeling if there is life inside her. She sighed in relief that what she was experienced was only a nightmare.

"It was just a bad dream, but it seemed so real."

It was one of the worst nightmares she experienced as far as she could remember. The horror of losing her child and being killed by Cloud would be unbearable. At that moment, all she wanted to have is someone who would comfort her in a time like this, someone who would be willing to hear her out. She looked at her bedside alarm clock and checked the time, it was two in the morning. Who would listen to her in such time of the night? Tifa thought that she was alone, and there was no one to share such terrible feeling with. She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to sleep, wishing that the dream wouldn't repeat itself.

The next day, instead of waking up from a good sleep, Tifa found herself sleepless the whole time. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the dark circles underneath her eyes indicating she lacked the sleep she needed. The bad dream really dealt a serious damage on her, physically and emotionally.

She sleepily reached out for her cell phone and thought to a person to hear her out. Her thoughts immediately rallied to Cloud, thinking that he would be the perfect person to share this but she didn't want to be so emotionally attached to him, she didn't knew exactly why she refused to call him but she just had this feeling that it would be best not to do so. Instead she thought of the next person, her best friend Aerith.

Upon hearing her best friend's concern, Aerith rushed to her apartment to see what was wrong. She arrived there in no time and immediately went to her best friend's side.

"Tifa," She spoke worriedly, "You alright there?"

"Hey Aerith," Tifa turned around to meet her best friend, "Have a seat."

Aerith sat down beside her, seeing her with the baby's ultrasound photo, "Oh is this the baby? Wow. I'm so happy for you Tifa."

Tifa spaced out, she never got to hear the brunette's remark. Her mind was clouded with the dream she had. She just needed to tell her about this, the effects could be drastic if she won't be able to let this out. She might harm herself, and even the baby.

"Tifa, if you have some concerns, you know you can always tell me." She instinctively wrapped her arms around her.

"Aerith, I—" Tifa felt her voice trembling in anxiety, before she knew it, she broke down into tears.

"It's okay, cry all you want." She whispered comfortingly as her embraced tightened around her.

"I had a bad dream last night, I was in a hospital and I…had a miscarriage." She began nervously, her heart racing in her chest.

"Oh that's terrible." Aerith gasped.

"The doctor said I slipped in the bathroom and landed on my stomach." Tifa continued, securing an arm over her abdomen, "And with that, I lost my baby."

"Was Cloud in your dream?"

Tifa recalled the event that happened with Cloud. She never thought of the possibility of Cloud killing her off just because she let their baby die like that, still the dream almost seemed like a reality to her. "Yes, he was just as devastated as I was. He dumped me from his life and then… he shot me."

"Oh my, Tifa I'm so sorry." She reached in her purse and offered her a pack of tissue.

"It's okay, I've been so emotional lately." Tifa sniffed, wiping her damp cheek with a tissue, "Blame it on the hormones."

"But I still can't believe my best friend is having a baby, I'm so jealous." She said, trying to cheer her up.

"Have you told Zack about it?" She said, trying to change the topic.

"Yes," Aerith said positively, "And I'm glad he took it well. He said we wouldn't give up trying."

Tifa disengaged from her best friend's embrace and leaned against the couch, "You know Aerith, there are times that made me ponder if I am really ready for the responsibility of being a mother."

"You should have thought about that way back when you found out that you're expecting."

"I did, but Cloud… he was my strength during the early months of my pregnancy. If it wasn't for him, I would have thought about getting rid of this child." Her eyes averted on her stomach.

"Oh Tifa, don't say those things."Aerith muttered, concluding in her mind that it's the hormones that are making her say such things.

"Aerith, it's true. I could never be a good mother if I couldn't provide the needs of my child. I only live in a small apartment, I have a job but the taxes and bills are inevitable, I could barely even provide for myself how much more for this?" Tifa stroked her abdomen gently.

"Tifa, you don't need to worry about that. Cloud can provide way more than enough for the both of you."

"That's another problem, he asked me to move in with me, which means he gets to share me his wealth and I couldn't even provide something in return." She said sadly. In reality, Cloud was the provider and his actions made it clear that he's willing to give her everything and the baby's needs, she thought that she was just being a freeloader and she couldn't even return a single cent.

"You don't need to Teef, all you need to do is take care of yourself, the baby and have a stable relationship with Cloud. Who knows you two may end up together like Zack and I." She winked at her best friend, tugging on her wedding band laced on her finger.

"I am not even sure of how I feel about him, how much more will I commit to him? Cloud is such a generous person, he deserves someone better, a woman with fine class."

"Cloud may be one of the richest guys in the city but he's not looking for someone in his social status, he's looking for someone who could fill that empty space he has in his life, more than what his money could give him and that's you Tifa and the baby."

"I still don't think I deserve such—"

"Teef, your hormones are taking over you right now and it's starting to bug me." Aerith interrupted, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm sorry, you're right." A smile finally curved on her lips, "But Aerith, I want you to promise me something."

"Okay, what is it?" She asked expectantly.

"After the baby is born, I want you to keep it."

"What? Tifa, are you out of your mind?" Aerith nearly jumped from her seat as soon as her ears heard what she said, "Are you putting your child for adoption?"

"I'm serious, Aerith you're my best friend and I know how it means to you and Zack to have a baby."

"Yes but not my best friend's baby! Tifa!" She screeched.

"Aerith, I still couldn't see myself ready for this." There she goes again, seems like the hormones are talking for her.

"Do we need to go on with this conversation over and over again? Forget it." Aerith finally stood up, unable to take all these senseless talking.

"Aerith please, you need to help me." Tifa stopped her, grabbed her wrist and whispered, "Please."

Aerith stared blankly out the window as she took a cab home. Her thoughts dwelled on Tifa and her unstable surge of hormonal activity, was it really the hormones that were driving her to this? Or was there another reason? She adjusted herself on her seat as her thoughts deepened, shifting on her offer, the baby. As a married woman, it's a blessing for a woman to bear a child but in Aerith's case, it's a privilege. Before she married Zack, Aerith was diagnosed of a disease that would give her a lesser chance of getting pregnant. When she found out about her condition, she nearly broke down as she asked herself why of all women she has to be the one having this. Aerith wanted to be married and have children but her condition made it a hindrance for it to be possible.

There were times that she wondered that there are women who never wanted to have kids or unexpectedly got pregnant and became single mothers but Aerith, she was willing to bear all the pain and the struggles to carrying a child in her womb but the chances would be slim. It was hard for her admit but she envied Tifa and her pregnancy. She knew Tifa too much and knew that she had plans in the future and getting pregnant was not a part of it, for now that is. She remembered way back in college when Tifa told her that she should work on her future first before settling down but it seems that fate had different plans for her.

As she stepped out of the cab, Aerith tried to erase the thoughts that droned over her during the ride. She didn't want her husband to see her so gloomy but she found it so hard to convert such feelings into something more positive.

"Hey hon, how did it go with Tifa?" Zack greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

"Not so good." She was in her not so usual tone of voice.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He blinked in confusion.

"Sit down Zack." She intiated as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, "Look Tifa gave me an offer,"

"Lay it on me." Zack nodded, sitting beside his lovely wife.

"She knows it would mean a lot for us to have a baby and… I…" Her words trailed off, she thought she was ready to say it but I guess she's having a hard time.

"Get to your point, Aerith." He demanded, wanting to get the information straightforwardly.

"She's giving out her child to us, for adoption." Aerith finally blurted.

"What? I didn't think Tifa would even consider that!" Zack exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know. I think it's her hormones that are making her say crappy things." She explained.

"You know what, I think you should take her to a doctor or something. If Tifa's behavior persists, I bet it's gonna have a bad effect on her and the baby." He said suggestively.

"You're right, Zack." Aerith nodded in agreement, "As a friend I should help her, I don't want her dream to come true."

"What dream?"

"She dreamt that she had a miscarriage and Cloud shot her because of her carelessness." She continued.

"That's horrible, man. Tifa needs to see a doctor right away." He said, beginning to worry over her wife's best friend.

"I will take her as soon as possible." She said and she held her husband's hand before she whispered, "But you know, a part of me wanted to consider her offer."

"Aerith…" He breathed.

"I just seems so unfair, Tifa got pregnant by accident, as for me, I'm married but I'm not even sure if I am ever going to get pregnant." Tears started to appear on her emerald eyes, it's not like her to be so emotional like this.

"You will be if we keep on trying, let's not give up okay?" He reassured, holding her hand even more tightly.

"What if we fail again Zack? Are you going to leave me?" She looked at him intently, her eyes speaking emotions of sadness and dread.

"Of course not, to hell with it." He pulled her into him in a warm embrace, "I am never going to leave you, Aerith no matter how long for us it would take to have our own baby."

"Will you ever consider adoption?"

"Maybe if we won't have any more choices, but surely it won't be Tifa's child." He replied, "If we do that, maybe the one we're about to take from her might be her own happiness."

"I have to agree." She agreed as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Right now let's focus on trying to have one of our own."

"I'm game for that." Zack smirked at her suggestively.

Few days later, Aerith finally managed to convince Tifa to see a guidance counselor. She was hesitant at first because she thought that it was just a waste of time listening to someone's advice when her own best friend can give her a good one.

When she arrived the clinic, Tifa was greeted with a warm welcome while she gave a fake smile. The counselor immediately could tell that Tifa was reluctant so she tried to make her open up by starting on her feelings about her pregnancy. The expecting woman began to narrate what she felt and she couldn't hide the tears that came with her story. The counselor comforted her gave her advice with her condition and that's when Tifa found the ground to tell her more. Aerith grinned and said to herself that this was a great decision for her bestfriend and counseling was all she needed to help her express and deal with her feelings.

"Seems like you have a mild case of anxiety disorder miss Lockhart."The counselor said, clearing her throat.

"I believe this is hormonal, maam."

"That too but even a hormonal person can manage to regulate her feelings, yours got to way overboard." She added.

"What should we do? Does she need therapy?" Aerith asked, her eyes gazed on her best friend who seems to be in deep thought.

"I want you to observe her for a little while, if she will have another episode of anxiety attack then she needs to be brought here right away, for therapy sessions."

"Is there a way to help her cope up with this?" The brunette queried again.

"I suggest you modify her environment, like take away the things that made her so dreadful." The counselor suggested.

"I guess moving in to Cloud's house would be an idea." Aerith turned to the pregnant woman beside here and placed an arm over her shoulder, "Tifa, would you like to stay with Cloud for a while?"

"What? Why?" Tifa looked her with more tears started to well up her eyes.

"Because you need a conducive environment for you to cope with these 'hormonal' episodes of yours and Cloud's place would be the best place for you." She explained.

"I can't Aerith, I just can't." Tifa shook her head in reply.

"Tifa, you need to do this. Who knows what would happen if this keeps up?"

"I'm fine, I can handle this by myself."

"This is not the time to be selfish. If you can't do this for yourself, think about the baby." Aerith stated convincingly. Tifa would always listen to her advise since she was right all along. She was old enough to handle her own feelings but since she was responsible for the life of an innocent child inside her, she would make sure her decision was not only for herself but for the both of them as well. Tifa told herself that this is not the time to be selfish and finally deciding to live with Cloud could be the only way to fix this. She had no choice but to comply with the choice she had to make.

"Okay, I will stay with Cloud." Tifa answered with a nod, "But this would be temporary, I don't want to be a burden to him."

"Oh you won't be Tifa, trust me on this." Aerith finally smiled.

**To be continued**

**Author's Note:** Yes I know it's not the best chapter and there might be typos in the story but please bear with me because I'm sick and my mind's not functioning well. If you happen to see some errors, please do tell me. Oh and please don't forget to drop a review, it will be highly appreciated. Thank you and happy holidays! :)


	10. Moving In

**Let Me Love You**

Chapter 10: Moving In

**Author's Note:** Here's another update. I was supposed to update last night but I forgot so here I am at three in the morning to upload the latest chapter. Anyway, please forgive the errors, I was too excited to upload this. I hope you'll like it and please don't forget to review. :)

Another long day at work is finally over. Cloud slowly packed up his things before deciding to leave the office. He took one last glance at his desk, making sure that everything is neat and tidy. His cerulean orbs instinctively averted to the sonogram image that was placed on a tiny picture frame, and it's the same one he got from Tifa's first trip to the doctor. A small smile crept on his lips upon seeing the photo and it never failed to brighten up his day, a stress reliever whenever he tends to overwork and something to great to look forward to months from now. The idea of being a father hasn't fully sunk in yet but he promised himself that he would do everything to be the best father for his future child.

He pictured what his life would be like if he never met Tifa in the first place. What kind of mother would his child have? Or will be even be a father in the first place? Cloud was sure damn lucky that he met her, a woman possessed with such beauty and gifted with kindness that everybody loved, including himself. He couldn't imagine her belonging to another man, she was blessed to be in his life, like it was his destiny to be with her. Cloud mused at the reality that she was not yet his but he has this feeling that the time will come that she would eventually learn to love him back. For now, he was satisfied of the thought of Tifa pregnant with his baby, he could not ask for anything else.

"Hey Cloud, there's something I need to tell you." Said a familiar voice from behind, interrupting his train of thought.

The blonde turned to his best friend, trying to hide his annoyed expression, "What is it Zack?"

"Look, Aerith took Tifa to the doctor earlier and—" He began.

"What? What happened to her?" Cloud asked in as his eyes widened in great surprise, what he said practically made him stand up from his seat in panic, "Where's Tifa right now? Is the baby alright?"

"Whoa relax, I'm gonna tell you so sit down." The raven haired man instructed in a relaxed manner, he waited for him to calm down before the continued, "Tifa had an anxiety attack because of this bad dream she had."

Cloud finally complied and sat down so he could restrain his thoughts but his mind somehow failed him, "Bad dream?"

"Tifa had a miscarriage and you got so disappointed and... killed her." He said in a voice filled with dread, hesitating on the last word.

"That's sick, I would never do that." He stated, dismissing what the other man said, "But the miscarriage, man, that's too horrible."

"Yeah and Tifa took it badly and she was saying a lot of crappy things." Zack continued, "Anyway, the physician told us that it would be best if she would move to a better environment where she won't have these anxiety attacks."

"So what's you point?"

"We decided to let her stay with you for the mean time." He suggested coaxingly, "Actually she told us that you initially asked her to move in with you."

"I did, did she finally agree to it?" He clarified, making sure that what he heard was right.

Zack nodded, "Oh yeah, she was hesitant at first but Aerith managed to convince her."

"Okay, I would be happy to accommodate her in my home." His sudden panic attack immediately changed into excitement, with the fact that Tifa has finally agreed to live with him under the same roof. This is the only way he could think of to watch over his 'future family' since he finds himself responsible for everything that eventually leads to this situation. He also thought that this is the most convenient way to get closer to Tifa and establish a stable relationship with her.

"You better Cloud! You could really use someone to live with you in that big house of yours, I don't want my best friend to feel lonely anymore."

"I guess you're right." As much as Cloud wanted to hide a grin, he couldn't, "When is she moving?"

"Aerith is helping her prepare her stuff right now so we should be there soon."

The two talked as they made their way out of their office. Cloud couldn't help but talk about Tifa and how she's dealing with her anxieties. Zack gave out his advice on how he could help Tifa cope with what she's been going through right now and trusted his instincts that his best friend could make her happy.

While they were on their way to Tifa's apartment, Zack noticed that Cloud spaced out throughout the ride. There are times that he would find his best friend spacing out even at work, but this time, he is unable to read what's been going on inside his head and he could see in his facial expression that his thoughts are deeper than they used to be. On the other hand, Cloud was in deep thought on how he could make her rely on him not only as a friend, but someone she could trust on when it comes to more serious matters. He knew very well that Tifa couldn't raise a child on her own especially with her current status so it's his obligation to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of her and the baby.

After a few minutes, they finally arrived at her place. Cloud hurriedly went up to her apartment room and the thought of knocking first before entering another person's place slipped so easily from his mind. Fortunately the door was unlocked and he wasted no time getting inside.

"Hey Tifa," Cloud immediately went to Tifa as he saw her packed her things, "Zack told me what happened. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine now Cloud, don't worry." Tifa smiled at him reassuringly, her usual positive expression present.

"I'm glad you finally agreed to live with me." He spoke as he took her hand in his and eyes locked with hers, "I promise to keep you safe with me."

"Damn Cloud practically ran up the stairs." Zack complained as he panted and slowly made his way inside.

"Are you okay, honey?" Aerith asked her husband with concern, "I'm sure he's just worried about Tifa that's why he did that."

"Yeah but you know Cloud when he's in panic mode, he often forgets his etiquette. He even forgot to knock—" The raven haired man ranted.

"That's enough Zack, why don't you help us pack Tifa's stuff instead of complaining." She suggested and lead him to a stack of boxes. Zack just nodded and complied with his dear wife's favour.

"Why are we packing so much? I'm only planning to stay there for a week or so." Tifa said as she eyed on the other batch of boxes piled near her doorstep.

"A week or so is not going to be effective on you Tifa, the doctor said you should staying there for a long time." Her best friend answered.

"But I don't want to be—"

"A freeloader?" Zack interfered and gave Cloud a tap on his back, "You being a freeloader do not exist in Cloud's dictionary right buddy?"

"Right, you can stay there for as long as you like. You're always welcome." The blonde agreed.

"See Teef, there's no need to worry. Cloud's got everything covered for you, all you have to do is enjoy the privilege." Zack added.

Tifa couldn't protest since this therapy is not only for her own good, but for her baby as well. Last night she read some articles over the internet that anxiety could affect the baby's development. The effects were enumerated and it gave her quite a scare. She could just not imagine the child's health deteriorate or worst, losing him or her because of her lack of emotional control.

With all the emotional stress that droned on her these past few days, Tifa felt like she needed someone to lift her from her current situation. Whenever she had problems, she would always turn to her best friend Aerith for advice and comfort, but not things are already different. Aerith was already married and has her own problems to deal with, she had no choice but to turn to Cloud. Cloud on the other hand was willing to give her everything she and the baby needed, why was she even hesitating? Tifa agreed to herself that she would find a way for her to recover from her anxiety and doing this was the easiest way she could think of.

Before she left, Tifa managed to talk with her sister Yuffie in the kitchen and left her some reminders. Yuffie listened selectively to her older sister's redundant lecture but she managed to show an impression that she understood.

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself Yuffie? I'm sorry if this is so sudden." Tifa apologized worriedly.

"It's okay with me sis! What's more important is the safety of my future niece or nephew, and yours as well." Yuffie answered cheeringly, "Besides I'm happy that you'll finally get to be living in a millionaire's house."

"I'm just staying there temporarily, I'll be back here as soon as I'm okay."

"You back here? I don't think so sis." The younger girl laughed, "I have a feeling you'll be staying there for good."

Tifa blinked at her statement, her eyebrows furrowed, "What made you say that?"

"You think Cloud will let you go after you moved in with him?" Yuffie leaned in and whispered at her sister, "I don't think so."

"It's not like we're getting married—" She blurted, a blush started to appear on her rosy cheeks.

"Who says about you marrying him?" Yuffie grinned at her idea, her eyes lit up like stars, "Oh Tifa you're getting way ahead of yourself, but it's possible."

"Oh no I'm not, I'm just saying that—"She defended, the blush on her face intensified to a deeper shade of red.

"You're so bad at lying sis! Your face tells it all." Yuffie chuckled at her expression, "Anyway, you better get going now. You don't want to make him wait too long."

"Thank you Yuffie, take care of yourself." Tifa extended her arms to give her sister a warm hug.

"Sure thing sis! Keep in touch." She obliged and wrapped an arm around the pregnant woman.

After a short ride, they finally arrived at Cloud's home. Even if she has been here before, she couldn't help but be amazed again from the outside and inside as well. As they made their way inside his house, Tifa noticed that there were few changes and some new things that she never saw before, like that treadmill machine and the component system in his living room. Tifa sighed and saw that Cloud has this nature of being impractical. He bought these things without even giving a second thought whether he really needed it or not, which is the exact opposite of her. Tifa knows how to budget her money and would only buy things that she totally needed because she is aware that her resources are limited. Since she's finally here with him, she could teach him a lecture on how to spend his money wisely on a more practical basis.

"Here," Cloud said as he opened the door for the expecting lady, "you'll be staying here in the guest room for the mean time."

"This is the guest room?" Tifa asked as her eyes roamed around the room. It was quite huge for a guest room with a flat screen TV, queen size bed, a wide closet and a personal bathroom.

"Got a problem with that?" The blonde murmured, "Stay outside then, I'll lend you a tent."

Tifa couldn't say a word, she was unable to tell whether he was being serious or was just joking around. His facial expression seem cold and stern that it sent a rapid jolt to her heart, making it throb faster and her breathing unstable.

"I'm joking Tifa, just to make you feel at home." Cloud chuckled at her and thought that she looked cute when she pouted at him."So what do you want for dinner?"

She sighed in relief and replied, "Anything is fine Cloud."

"Okay, we'll have roast beef and Caesar salad then." He concluded, taking his phone from his pocket, "Hold on, I'll call delivery."

"Wait, why?"

"Teef, I'm a terrible cook. I don't want you and the baby to eat something crappy." He reasoned out as he placed his phone over his right ear.

"No I'll cook it Cloud. Just go to the living room and watch TV while I prepare dinner, okay?" Tifa finally said as she walked out of the room.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get stressed at all." Cloud ruled out with concern.

"When did cooking ever stressed me out? Trust me on this." She smiled reassuringly.

Cloud allowed her to do what she wanted, after all she insisted. While he was busy watching TV, he couldn't help but glance at the lady from time to time, making sure that she's all right. Meanwhile, Tifa was annoyed at the fact that Cloud was constantly monitoring her in the kitchen like she was unsure of what she is doing. She loved cooking just as much as she loved teaching and seeing another person doubt her capabilities just agitates her.

After a while, Tifa finally finished cooking and called him to dinner. Cloud entered the kitchen and nearly drooled at her food preparation, roast beef with honey sauce and Caesar salad with his favourite salad dressing. The two sat down on the dining table and she watched him as he ate his dinner like a starving man who hasn't eaten for days. He complimented her at her great cooking skills and she thanked him for his remark. Then he said to himself, not only that she's pretty, smart and kind but she's a great cook too. He always believed in the saying that 'the faster way to a man's heart is through his stomach' and he felt lucky to be with someone who's so good at cooking and that he could use a little lecture since his cooking is a quite unsatisfactory.

Cloud finished his dinner immediately and placed the used dishes on the kitchen sink, "I'll do the dishes for you Teef, go to the living room and rest."

"No it's fine Cloud. I'll handle this." She insisted as approached his position, carrying more used dishes in her hands.

"Tifa, your hands will get tired—"

"I'm washing dishes, not clothes." Tifa interrupted and directed him towards the living room, "Now go."

Cloud no longer protested and complied with her request as this arrangement went on for a month. Tifa insisted that she would work and at the same time do the entire household chores whenever she's at home. For her this is the only way she could return the favour of him letting her live in such a lavish home and for being such a good provider for her needs. On the other hand, Cloud wanted her to just relax and enjoy the perks of living with him but he just couldn't find the right time to tell her about his sentiments, to stop whatever she's doing these past few days and focus more on herself and the baby.

Another week passed and it was again laundry day. Tifa left her room with a basket of used clothing as she made her way to the laundry room. She's been living with him for a month now and has been in every corner of his house but there's this one room that she hasn't been to. She wanted to ask Cloud about that room but the question always managed to slip from her mind since she had more important things to think about. Meanwhile Cloud who happened to passed by, saw Tifa standing in front of that certain room that somehow piqued her curiosity.

"Cloud what's in this room?" Tifa wondered with a perplexed expression.

"It's a storage closet. Want to take a look inside?"

"May I?"

"Sure." He said as he twisted the door knob back and forth, "Oh darn, I think the door knob is busted."

"Actually the door knob has broken for quite some time already, I thought you may have noticed by now." She added her observation.

"Not really, I guess I was too busy." He let out a sigh.

Tifa's eyes wandered at his outfit and noticed a stain of pain on his pants, "Is that paint on your jeans?"

"Oh this?" Cloud jerked his right leg and explained, "It's permanent, I used this while I was painting this house before."

"But I just washed that clothing last week. I remembered it had no paint on it."

"Maybe you washed the other one, I have a lot of pants that look alike but with a different brand." He obviously lied.

"Oh I guess so." She was not fully convinced by his answer. She was certain that it was the same pants she recently washed.

After a brief moment of silence, Cloud had the courage finally open up to her about something that has been bothering him for a while now, "Hey Tifa, I want to talk to you about something."

"What is it Cloud?"

"Look, I really appreciate you helping me out in the house but, Tifa you're pregnant." He began nervously.

"Yes Cloud and I'm on my fifth month already." She added with a positive tone of voice.

"Well in the first place, you came in this house so you could relieve yourself from another anxiety attack, not be my maid."

"Cloud, do you really see me as a maid?" Tifa frowned at her own remark, her optimistic mood dropped from something more melancholic.

"I didn't mean it that way—" Even he was surprised at her statement, he never expected she would say something like that.

"Even if my income is only a cent of your wealth, do you really see me was a lowly person?" She ducked her head, eyes looking down the floor.

"Tifa, no you don't understand, you're special to me." Cloud paused and took a deep breath before saying, "You're not a maid, to me you're my queen."

"Cloud…" She became speechless at his sudden confession.

"You're my queen Tifa, I don't want you stress yourself out by doing all these chores. I want you to relax and enjoy what I have here to offer."

"But I don't want to be a burden to you and doing chores is the only way I could repay you for your hospitality." She explained her concern as she averted her gaze from him, "Since I can't provide you anything financially."

Cloud gently cupped her face and reassured her, "I don't need you to provide anything for me Tifa, I assure you I'm fine and capable. I can work, I can cook a little, I can wash my own clothes, and I can clean the house all by myself. I'm used to it."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She felt her tears started to pool in her eyes.

"I'm just trying to help you with what you're going through right now, I don't want anything bad to happen to you and my baby." He gazed at her and placed a palm over her swollen belly.

"Cloud, you've already done so much for the both of us, do I really deserve this much?"

"You deserve everything I have to offer, only the best for you." He said and leaned closer against her.

Tifa stepped back until her back rested against the wall, Cloud positioned his strong arms on both of her sides as if imprisoning her, not wanting her to escape. His eyes aimed on her soft cherry lips and closed the gap between them. Just when their lips were about to touch, he felt her hand on his chest. It didn't take too long before he understood her action, she was not yet ready for this.

"It's okay, I'm not rushing you." Cloud whispered against her early and instead took her in his arms in a warm embrace, "Holding you like this is enough for me."

"Cloud…" She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, feeling his warmth against her own "Thank you."

Morning finally came. Tifa slowly opened her eyes and saw the new environment she was in. This is the first time she woke up in Cloud's room and the feeling of having him sleep beside her just gave her a good start for the day. She placed a hand over his sleeping face and smiled. Cloud felt her warm touch against his cheek and peeked with one eye to look at her.

"Good morning, Tifa." Cloud greeted sleepily, his hair ruffled against the pillow. "I hope you had a good sleep."

"I sure did," She admitted and it was probably the best one she had since she got here. "What am I doing here in your room?"

"You fell asleep on the couch last night, it was such a pity so I brought you here." He answered and buried his face on the pillow, trying to fight the sleepiness.

"Why not in my room?" The pregnant woman questioned again.

"What's wrong? I don't see any difference."

"Oh well, I'll go prepare breakfast." She said as she sat up.

"No you're not, I've already done that for you. Come on." He swiftly lifted himself from the bed and took her hand, leading her to the dining room. The two began breakfast with waffles with maple syrup along with milk and fresh fruits, a healthy way to start the morning especially for pregnant Tifa.

"I thought you were a bad cook." Tifa said as she munched on her meal, "These waffles are good."

"Machines were invented to make things easier, I have this so-called waffle machine. Just put the stuff in, wait for a few minutes and you come up with this." Cloud replied with that same arrogant tone that she used to dislike, "Don't tell me you don't have one at home?"

"What if we don't? You're gonna look down on me again?" She raised an eyebrow on him.

"Hey easy there, it was a joke." He chuckled.

"It is? It's not a very funny Cloud." She replied icily.

"Look I'm sorry, eat your waffles now. Or do you want me to feed you?" He suggested playfully.

"It's okay, I can feed myself." She dismissed his offer, "Are you gonna eat?"

"I already did, I even did the laundry for you."

Tifa's eyes widened at what he said as she nearly dropped her fork, "Oh my God don't tell me you saw my underwear?"

"It's not as if I haven't seen it before." He smirked.

"You're such a tease! I hate you." She screeched as she purposefully pierced her fork on the waffle.

"I love it whenever you blush, it makes you even more cute." He complimented.

"I'm gonna shove this fork down your throat Strife!" Tifa threatened and raised her fork at him.

"As if you could do that." He taunted with an arched brow.

"I'm serious Strife! If you don't I'll—"

Cloud silenced her with a kiss, even if he knew that the timing was a somehow inappropriate, he just gave in to his urges and finally took the opportunity to do this to her. Meanwhile, Tifa's was in a state of shock at his unexpected move and her mind duelled whether she'll return the kiss or shove him away. After a second of mental conflict, her mind sent a message and her body reacted as she pushed him instinctively as hard as she can with both hands. He was caught off guard and his body stumbled upon the kitchen counter.

"I hate you Cloud." She remarked coldy and started to walk out of the dining area, "And this time, it's for real."

"Tifa, wait! Come back." He tried to follow her but she hastily made her way towards her room, leaving him alone at the moment, "I'm sorry."

**To be continued**

**Author's Note:** I will try to update fast because I might be busy with school stuff, but don't worry the next chapter will be worth the wait. Thanks for reading. Take care! :)


	11. The Surprise

**Let Me Love You**

Chapter Eleven: The Surprise

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! So here I am again to add up another chapter, I finished this ahead of time because it's bothering my student life. Whenever I think about the remaining school stuff that I need to do, I end up writing this. It's distracting, probably because I get inspired always and I love writing too much. Lol. Anyway, I hope you'll like this and please don't forget to review. :)

* * *

"He kissed you?" Aerith gasped at her best friend's news, "That's great Tifa! I'm happy for you."

"What's so great about that?" Tifa just rolled her eyes on her reaction.

"It's great because Cloud has truly proved his love for you."

"Love? I'm not even familiar with that term." She denied.

"Tifa, just give the guy a chance, he's trying his best already."

"Even if it's his house doesn't mean he gets to do everything he wants. I need my private space too." The pregnant woman explained her side.

"So did you kiss him back?" The brunette asked with utmost curiosity.

Tifa nearly coughed at her question but she quickly gained her composure, "No, I walked out on him."

She immediately frowned at her response, "Tifa, you're mean. After all he has done for you, you're just act like some hormonal bitch?" Aerith reprimanded, it was unlikely of her to curse but this time, she just couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry for the term but you are, and this has to stop."

"I don't know what to do, Aerith." Tifa finally faced her with concern, "We haven't talked for more than a week now."

"That long?" The other woman blinked, "That's kind of difficult since it's just the two of you living in the house."

"His house is too big for the both of us. I kept on hiding in different places where we won't find me." She explained.

"So that explains why Cloud keeps calling us in the middle of the night asking for your whereabouts." Aerith mused at the idea.

"He is?" She grunted at her remark, "Oh the nerve of that guy."

"Tifa, he's just worried about you." She said to her with just much concern, "He would feel horrible if something bad happened to you."

Tifa took a moment to think and she finally spoke, "I guess I should apologize huh?"

"Of course you should, if Cloud wasn't that nice he would have kicked you out of his house by now."

"I still don't understand why he's being so nice to me." She muttered, her voice filled with regret.

"Tifa, you can't be that dense!" Aerith exclaimed in such way that she would clearly understand, "Cloud is in love with you. That's the explanation why he kissed you and the reason why he's giving everything to you."

"Aerith, I'm afraid this would happen soon." She said, her words depicting fear and doubt.

Green orbs softened, she immediately understood what she meant, "You're falling for him aren't you?"

"I'm not so sure but I think I am." Tifa admitted in uncertainty, a blush starting to appear on her cheeks.

"Then go tell him! That way you two will start talking again and finally be together."

"I don't know where to begin." She shook her head in emphasis.

"Just start talking to him, I'm sure he's just waiting for you to talk to him." She advised.

Few days passed and it was finally Saturday which means no work for Tifa. Since Cloud was out and there was nobody who will do the household chores, she insisted that she would do them anyway just to be productive. She was in her room arranging and folding her laundry-fresh clothes when she heard the doorbell ring. She paused from her duties and went downstairs to see who was outside.

A tall man wearing a blue cap with matching blue shirt tucked in black slacks arrived at the doorstep with a package on his right hand and a clipboard on the left. He took one last glance at his list before he finally spoke, "Good morning maam, is Mr. Cloud Strife there?"

"He's at work, is that for him?" She replied, her gaze wandered at the box curiously.

"Yes, this is the crib he ordered." The man said as he tapped the package.

"A crib?" Her eyes widened in surprise and confusion, "I think you got the wrong house, sir. We didn't order a crib."

"But I am certain this is the right house," He answered and double checked the list on his clipboard, "I've been delivering baby stuff here for weeks now."

"I'm not really so sure, he hasn't told me anything about this." She said in uncertainty.

"Well I'll just leave you with the package and sign here for me." He said as he handed her a piece of paper along with a pen. She eagerly complied and wrote her signature on the receipt, "Thank you Mrs. Strife."

"Oh I'm not his wife." She admitted.

"He told me it's for her pregnant wife." He said, his facial expression turn perplexed, "Oh this is so confusing."

"I'm so sorry. I'll just let him know right away." Tifa gave him a warm smile instead. "Thanks anyway."

After a few minutes, Cloud finally arrived at his home. His eyes went to the familiar van parked in front of his house. It took a second for him to realize that it was the delivery van that has been making deliveries to his house for quite some time now. He wasted no time to park his car and stepped out of the vehicle.

"Oh shit." He cursed as he ran towards the delivery man.

"Hey Cloud, I already delivered the crib. Some pretty lady already signed for you."

"I told you not to make deliveries while she's here." Cloud spattered furiously, "Now you're gonna spoil the surprise."

"Hey I'm just doing my job and I have tons of deliveries to make." He explained without making eye contact at all.

Cloud reached out a bill from his pocket and gave it to the man, "Here's twenty gil, don't make deliveries when I'm not around."

"How should I know when you're not around?"

"Just give me a call before you make deliveries. I don't want her to know about my secret project." He suggested.

"Whatever." The delivery man shrugged his shoulders, "But consider yourself lucky Cloud, she's a real beauty. Plus she's got a hot body, I didn't even recognize she's pregnant."

"If you keep talking about her like that, I'll take your tip away." The blonde threatened with a serious look on his face.

"Whoa I'm just joking." The man chuckled at his reaction, "Man, she keeps denying that she's your wife. On second thought, you never told me you were married."

"I'm not, she's just living with me for the mean time." He muttered.

"She's not your girlfriend either?"

He just shook his head, "No, not yet."

While Tifa was busy in the kitchen, Cloud sneaked in through the window so she won't hear the door creaking and notice his arrival. He immediately saw the package near the door and didn't hesitate to carry it upstairs as cautiously as he could. After the short commotion, he returned downstairs and stepped inside the kitchen.

"Hey Cloud, a package arrived for you." She said without looking at him.

"Package? I didn't order anything." He lied as he opened the refrigerator to grab a can of soda.

"Then what's a crib doing here?" She pointed, but there was nothing there at all.

"What crib?" He asked, trying to complicate things on purpose.

"The crib, it was just here a second ago." Her head tilted, a perplexed expression appeared on her face.

"I didn't see anything." He answered and took a sip on his soda.

"Now that's strange." She sighed and went back to her position in the kitchen counter, "Oh yeah, you still haven't fixed that door knob yet."

"Oh right, I forgot. I'll get that fixed soon, if I'm not busy." He reassured and decided to leave the kitchen. But before he could exit the room, he turned to call her attention, "Oh Tifa?"

"What?"

"Thank for talking to me again." He grinned at her, trying to earn the same positive response.

"We're still not okay, Cloud. I still hate you." She said, without a hint of optimism at her voice.

"Yeah, right." Cloud smirked, not believing a word at all.

Cloud skipped his way towards his room and to his closet. He turned his head on both sides and made sure that there was nobody behind him before he took a key from his pocket. After a little nudge, the door finally opened and it lead him to a deserted room.

When Cloud planned his house, he thought of the possibilities of having a family so he purposefully left this room empty, leaving the chances of having either a boy or a girl. A few weeks after he learned about Tifa's pregnancy, he had that weird feeling that they will be having a boy so he started to paint the room with blue. During his free time from work and whenever Tifa was busy or wasn't around, he would find time to decorate the room with a theme fit for a male child, like space ships, race cars and robots. He also secretly ordered baby stuff around the internet and a delivery man secretly made deliveries without Tifa noticing at all.

"Oh man, that was close! That stupid delivery man is going to ruin everything." He ranted as he sat down on the floor. He opened the box and started by reading the instruction manual available with the package, "Might as well start assembling this."

A week finally passed and the two are still having their silent treatment. It didn't take too long for Tifa to remember that it was finally time for her appointment with her doctor so she would finally know the baby's gender. She would also know what kind of clothes she'll buy and maybe she could even start thinking of a name. As for Cloud, he was also busy with his own matters regarding his work and his baby room project. The two were too busy with each other's own business to even settle their own problems with one another.

Neither of them even tried to make the first move, whenever their eyes met they would just avert their gazes without saying a word or two. They even refused to eat together, Tifa would eat at the dining table while Cloud would take his meal either to the living room or to his room and eat while pretending to be busy with his work. Whenever someone leaves, they would leave right away without a single 'goodbye' or 'take care'. It's as if they never really cared about one another, but deep down both parties cared too much that they wanted this kind of unhealthy treatment to end as soon as possible. He thought of flowers with post-it messages while she thought of the best food preparations but neither of them has the initiative to do so.

It was a Sunday when Tifa left and went to Aerith's house while Cloud was stuck at home tending to his own stuff. Before she went out of the house, she managed to cook him lunch and even dinner if ever she would arrive home late. Cloud appreciated her effort to cook for him and it left him inspired throughout the day. It just goes to show that Tifa could be as caring as she could be even with this silent treatment going on between them.

At Aerith's house the two ladies settled for a little tea session, gushing about what has transpired them these past few days. The married woman talked about her struggles in conceiving but the topic shifted from Tifa's misunderstanding with his live-in partner.

"So how's it going with Cloud?" Aerith asked as she took a sip on her tea.

"We're still not talking." She replied flatly.

"That's too bad." The brunette said with a frown, "The idea of two people living together who aren't even talking to each other seems... awkward."

"We kind of got used to it."

Suddenly Aerith let out a gasp when she remembered something, "Oh that reminds me, Tifa, do you have any plans on Saturday?"

"Saturday? Well, I'm going to the doctor for my usual check up. Why?" She replied and looked at her friend.

"You're not gonna throw a surprise birthday party for Cloud?"

"Birthday party?" She repeated in astonishment, "I didn't even know his birthday was on Saturday."

"He never told you anything?"

"No, he didn't." Tifa shook her head, gazing out the window beside her, "I guess he's too busy."

"Zack seems a little busy too, he said that they have an investors meeting on Saturday. I guess Cloud is also busy preparing." Aerith said as she got up to place the used tea cups on the sink.

"Then I guess it's up to me find out about my baby's gender." The pregnant woman muttered to herself.

"I can go with you Tifa. I don't have errands on that day." She said as she approached her, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Thank you Aerith," Tifa smiled at her. "I appreciate it."

Cloud has been overworking for the past few days and this commotion got the pregnant Tifa concerned for him. She could barely see him coming out of his room and she couldn't help but be worried about his health because of the fact that he's skipping meals. Whenever she would take a look at him, she would see a stressed out Cloud with dark circles beneath his eyes, messed up hair and dishevelled face. She concluded that he hasn't been getting enough sleep because of the upcoming meeting with the investors. The pressure was hitting him hard and that his well being is drastically affected.

Saturday finally came and it was the day that Tifa anticipated. She would see her baby once again and later she would find out if she's having a boy or a girl. While she was inside the cab, she imagined at how her baby would look like, probably a cute little girl with dark brown locks and with her eyes or a blue-eyed baby boy with blonde hair, just like _her_ Cloud. The man that devoted himself to her, spoiled her with all the riches he could give and the man who's willing to love her and their unborn child without asking for anything in return. Tifa smiled at herself at the idea of her and Cloud finally becoming together, she thought that it's about time for them to settle their indifferences and take their relationship to another step.

After a little while, she finally arrived at the hospital with her best friend waiting for her at the lobby. After a short talk, the two women made their way inside the hospital corridors and to Tifa's doctor. While patiently waiting for their turn, they browsed at magazines available inside the clinic just to pass some time.

"You know, two months ago I was at this clinic and I was nervous on my first check up but now I feel so excited." She said and gently placed a hand over her stomach.

"You're really getting used to the pregnant life aren't you Tifa?" Aerith grinned, feeling a little jealous at the other woman's condition, "I guess that means living with Cloud totally helped you recover."

"I guess it did, and I owe you and Zack for helping me move." Tifa thanked her.

"Most importantly you should thank Cloud for all the hospitality he has done for you, if it weren't for him you could still be suffering from anxiety attacks."

"But still I hurt him, I'm such an ungrateful bitch." She claimed dreadfully.

"Oh come on Tifa, he loves you. He must've forgiven you by now." Aerith gave a positive remark, trying to cheer her up.

"I don't know how I could make it up to him. I haven't even greeted him 'happy birthday' yet." She said along with a frown. "He was in a hurry and he just had a single toast for breakfast."

"He must've been really busy preparing for the important meeting with the investors."

"I'm just worried Aerith, he's been skipping meals and he hasn't been getting enough sleep. I always see him stressed out in front of his laptop, he won't even look at me and talk to me." Tifa said anxiously, recalling the moments when she would hand him his meal and he wouldn't even thank her, as if her presence didn't really matter.

"Cloud has this tendency of overworking, you better keep an eye on him." The married woman explained to her best friend. "There was one time when he worked too much that he passed out after their meeting. Zack took him to the hospital and there he found out he was over fatigued, probably resulting from the same things you mentioned."

"I'm so worried about him Aerith, what if he'll—"She could feel her voice tremble in anxiety.

The secretary came out of the door and called her attention, "Miss Tifa Lockhart. The doctor will see you now."

"We'll talk about this later," Aerith whispered and placed a hand over her shoulder, "For now, let's go check on the baby."

After the doctor's appointment, the two women went out for lunch and they discussed about how Tifa could make it up to Cloud for the silent treatment that has been going on between them. The expecting woman almost cried when she told her best friend about the other unhealthy habits Cloud has been doing recently and asked how she could tell him to stop. Aerith gave her some suggestions and she eagerly listed them into her mind, hoping she could fulfil them. They also made plans of throwing Cloud a party tonight, a simple dinner with just the four of them, however Aerith had other plans in mind.

Before it got dark, there was a heavy rainfall and it was strong enough to cause a black out. The sudden loss of electricity caused Tifa to have a hard time in preparing the place for Cloud's birthday dinner but it was a good thing that she was done cooking the meal just before the electric supply went out. Luckily she found some candles in the kitchen and it provided temporary lighting for her. When Tifa took out the plates they would use, her cell phone rang inside her pocket, indicating that there was a call. She looked at the caller ID before she answered and it was Aerith telling her that she and Zack couldn't make it.

"What do you mean you aren't coming?" Tifa practically screamed on the phone, "It's just rain, you guys have a car don't you?"

Little did she know that the married couple did it on purpose so Tifa could have her private time with Cloud and they could finally make amends.

"Oh fine, I'll see you around." She sighed heavily and placed the phone on the kitchen counter.

She was too preoccupied with the preparations that she didn't notice Cloud arriving from work. His leather jacket was drenched from the rain but it was enough to protect his other clothing. He took off his jacket and placed it on the nearest table.

"Tifa?" A familiar voice came from the kitchen door, "Are you here?"

"I'm in the kitchen Cloud." She immediately turned to the kitchen counter, lazily skipping the pages of a recipe book upon recognizing the voice.

Cloud walked into the kitchen and saw a banquet on his dining table. He never saw so much homemade food and it's all thanks to Tifa for such a splendid preparation, "Oh wow, did you made all these?"

"Yeah." She said, still unable to look at him in the eye.

The blonde man wasted no time and took his seat. He immediately took a piece of everything that was served on the table. He hastily ate the food on his plate like a starving man who has not eaten for days.

"Wow the food is good Tifa." Cloud stated inaudibly as his mouth continued to chew the contents.

"Cloud Strife, don't talk when your mouth is full." She scolded without eyeing him.

"Oh I'm sorry."He apologized and started eating at a slower pace. Tifa secretly laughed at him, thinking that he looked cute for a moment.

When both of them finished their dinner, Tifa insisted that she would do the dishes. Meanwhile, Cloud didn't have the strength to protest since he was so full and he was afraid that he was going to throw up if he opened his mouth and spoke a single word. He took a candle and slowly made his way towards the living room. Sometime later, Tifa joined him in the living room and sat on the same couch as him but on opposite sides with the awkward aura between them still present.

"Hey Cloud..." She mumbled, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath to gain some momentum before she spoke, "I'm sorry about how I acted these past few days."

"It's okay Tifa, I'm over it." Cloud spoke softly and scooted closer to her, "Right now, what's more important is just the two of us."

"What about him?" She placed a palm on her swollen belly.

"Him?" He raised an eyebrow at her and a second later, he understood what she meant, "Oh it's a boy?"

"Yes, I went to the doctor earlier and she confirmed that we're having a boy." She finally gave him a smile, the first one since they had a silent treatment.

"Oh wow, I'm having a son." Cloud said in elation, placing his hand over hers, "I'm so happy Tifa."

"I'm just as happy as you Cloud." She said, positioning herself comfortably against him.

Cloud composed himself for a moment and he began, "Tifa, listen, I felt really bad about not talking to you. I kept on thinking that it was my entire fault, and I was moving too fast."

"It's all right Cloud." She replied, coaxing him to go on with his monologue.

"But I never regret kissing you. I liked it, even if you didn't." He continued, securing his arm around her in a possessive manner, "I couldn't contain my feelings for you anymore, my heart is begging for me to tell you that... I love you Tifa."

Tifa felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing those three words, words that Cloud has been aching to tell her ever since she agreed to live with him. She had a few confessions way back in high school and in college but this was different and it felt like this is a new experience for her because she never reciprocated feelings for anyone before.

Cloud grew nervous upon waiting for her response, his heart beating faster and he is unsure if the reason behind it because of his sudden confession or the possibility of being rejected by her again. But instead of being denied by her, she instinctively shifted her position and sat on his lap. He was surprised by her move and instinctively wrapped his arms around her, their eyes never leaving each other.

"Oh Cloud, look at me." She instructed him, cupping his face and finally whispered "I love you too."

He felt like he just lost his breath for a moment as he blinked at her in disbelief, "Do you... do you mean that Tifa?"

"I mean it Cloud, I found it so hard to deny that I am eventually falling for you, I've always been." She continued, ignoring the bright flush of red on her face, "I'm just really not good at expressing myself but I'm glad I finally told you the truth."

"If you did have feelings me way before, then why didn't you want to be with me?"

"I was afraid of commitment, I always was. I figured that I would never be a good girlfriend to anyone, but then I was wrong. I just needed to find the right man to be with, and that's you Cloud." She felt her tears started to pool around her eyes.

"Oh Tifa," Cloud gasped, her words were still unable to sink into his system, "You made me the happiest man alive."

"I love you Cloud, I always will." She said as the tears finally rolled down her reddened cheeks, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you Tifa, and I love you too."

The two stared at each other for a brief moment, eyes filled with love and passion for each other. Tifa instinctively leaned in and encircled her arms around his neck. Finally their lips met in a gentle and loving kiss. Their first kiss that meant something for both of them, an expression of all the pent up feelings they had for one another. They parted for a second for air and they kissed again, this time with more desire than the previous one. It didn't take words to ask Tifa to be his girlfriend, but even if he did she would've answer him with a 'Yes'.

The heated moment was cut when the living room lights suddenly lit up, illuminating the whole place. The blackout has ended and the rain has stopped. Cloud looked at her and saw the deep tint of red on her radiant face, her lips swollen from the intense lip lock session they had. He smiled at her before he took her by the hand and lead her to his bedroom where they continued their ministrations.

If only Tifa wasn't expecting, Cloud would have taken things into a different approach. Who wouldn't be turned on by a woman endowed with an attractive face and a gorgeous figure that any man would desire. Tifa knew what he had in mind and if conditions were not the way there are now, this night would've ended up with something they would both treasure as far as their relationship is concerned. Despite this, neither of them really cared if they won't be able to succumb in to their needs because of a special reason, their having a baby together. It didn't matter whether everything happened too fast but the fact that they're going to be a family is the blessing that both of them would cherish more than what their inner fantasies would give them.

The couple spent the night talking about how they would drive this relationship and how they would raise their child. All their concerns about with how they should treat each other were discussed and they were able to come up with amendments to help them stabilize their share of insecurities. It was almost two in the morning when Cloud felt Tifa's body leaning against him, allowing the pregnant woman to sleep against his shoulder. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he placed her in a comfortable position so as not to harm her growing baby bump. He mesmerized her for a few minutes before drowsiness finally gotten into him. He felt himself smile in his slumber, thinking about the fact that is probably the best birthday he ever had, and he couldn't ask for more.

The next day Tifa found herself waking up beside his newly claimed boyfriend, thinking how long he was mesmerizing her during her sleep. Upon seeing him, her eyes roamed at his features wearing only grey sweat pants and with nothing on top. She gave him a small smile, unsure if it was because of seeing his well toned chest or the fact that she was happy to see him first thing in the morning.

"Good morning, my love. Had a great sleep?" Cloud greeted herwith a bright grin on his face.

"Best sleep I ever had." Tifa answered with a yawn.

"It's almost eight in the morning, you better get up." He told her, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Are we going somewhere?" She asked him sleepily.

"No but I have a surprise for you." He took her hand and helped her get up from the bed. He reached his back pocket and revealed to her a white piece of cloth, "Wear this."

"Oh Cloud, what's this for?" Tifa tilted her head and looked at him, "Do I really have to?"

"Yes, come on." He said before she could protest. He took the cloth from her and tied it around her head to cover her eyes, making sure that it isn't too tight or too lose. His hands travelled down her waist as they started to walk, guiding her out of the room.

"Be careful, my tummy might hit on something. I can't see a thing with this." She uttered as she concealed her arm around her abdomen.

"It's okay. I'm here." He whispered reassuringly against her ear as they continued to walk slowly towards another room, "Alright, take off your blindfold now."

She complied and took off the blindfold, her eyes widened as she gasped in surprise. "Oh my, wow!"

"This will be our baby's room." He explained to her, "I've been working on this since the moment you moved in with me."

"Cloud this is amazing." Tifa said as she explored the room painted with light blue, designed with a few stickers of cars, planes and other things that would indicate that the room was made for a baby boy. She also saw some baby things such as clothes, shoes, a stroller and even the crib that Cloud ordered without her information. This clearly indicated that Cloud would be the type of father who will spoil his child with all that he could possibly give him as he grows up. Her mind thought on how much he spent for all of these but she just dismissed the idea since they have already settled the issue last night.

"Sorry I didn't tell you anything, especially about the baby stuff. I wanted this to be a surprise." He muttered, scratching his head.

"It's wonderful!" She exclaimed, looking at the cabinet tinged with a combination navy blue and white.

"Think of this as my way of thanking you for allowing me to be a part of your life," He pulled her into his arms comfortingly, her back resting against his chest, "And for finally learning to love me back."

"Cloud..."

"Do you like it?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I love it!" She said gleefully, "And it's so blue, did you know it's going to be a boy?"

"Well I just had a feeling that he is." Cloud shrugged his shoulders in response, "If it wasn't well, I'll just do another paint job and it will take a little while again. I guess he didn't want to give his daddy a hard time."

"Oh my," She gasped and abruptly held her abdomen, "He moved."

"He did?" He positioned his hand over hers, yearning to feel the movement, "Oh he did."

"I guess it's his way of saying 'thank you' for giving him a very beautiful room." She told him, their hands intertwined with each other, "Wait until he meets the best daddy in the world."

"I can't wait to meet him too." He said quietly, "Hey Tifa,"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Cloud."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yep, it's a little lengthy.Sorry if my writing skills, or rather my descriptive skills are a little poor, I don't know why but I sort of lost my descriptive side so I think I was not able to portray their feelings well when this is supposed to be the climax of their relationship. Plus I think I may have typos too, I'm too lazy to check though. But please, I'd appreciate it if you review :) Thanks again.


End file.
